Partners With Possibilities
by roswellwbfan
Summary: On Hiatus...Allows for the possibility of a GorenEames romance.
1. The God of Thunder and The Stakeout

Spoilers: All episodes are fair game…

Disclaimer: Mr. Wolf (and all other interested parties) should know that I am only borrowing the characters. No harm is intended.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

One of the worst parts of sting operations had to be the monotony of remaining in one place for longer than most normal people ever would, Detective Alexandra Eames thought. But the most awful aspect was the need to stay regardless of the circumstances like, for instance, the weather. She cast an irritated glance heavenward as she finished this thought for at that moment dark and massive storm clouds were continuing to herd themselves into what appeared to be the spot directly over her head. Alex imagined that if there was a god of thunder like Zeus that he was sitting amongst the clouds laughing his ass off at the thought of pouring all that rain down on top of her. 

She allowed these thoughts to engage but a portion of her mind, as the majority of her attention was focused on the building she was watching…still. Bored to the point of frustration Alex went back over the details of the case in her mind. It all started with the discovery of half a dozen bodies over the course of three months. Normally not a case for the Major Case Squad they had nonetheless been pulled in when the discovery of the first body coincided with a raid at a shipping yard to seize a warehouse of mostly high-end art forgeries. They were working that murder and had been handed the other bodies when they were found in similar areas. 

They had discovered that the victims were linked with the help of the Medical Examiner. On the surface the fact that they were all women was the first clue, and that they appeared to be of Asian descent was the second. But the M.E. had provided them with the final clues that definitely connected the dots. First of all was the fact that the women had all been killed the same way—a severed jugular vein was never pretty—and apparently by the same person with the same weapon. Also there was startling evidence suggesting that each woman had given birth within the past three months. Add that to the lack of any positive id's for any of the victims and it hadn't taken them long to piece together what may have happened.

The theory had been that these women were all smuggled into this country while still pregnant. After giving birth they were allowed to breastfeed their child for a time and then that child was taken away and the women were all killed. She and her partner were assuming that the children had been taken away since no one had claimed any of the mothers. Nor had any missing children's reports for infants been filed that matched the probable ethnicity of the children. So they figured they were dealing with black market adoptions. And someone had decided that killing the biological mothers was an easier option than paying them for their services as surrogates.

They had chosen this man, a shipping magnate known as Jun-Thai, to watch because all of the bodies had been found alongside piers that he either owned directly or had access to. The ME had determined that the women had been killed somewhere else and then dumped on the sites where they were later found. Preliminary questioning had failed to turn up anything from their suspect but both detectives liked this guy for the job and had agreed to sit on him for a while in hopes of turning up something that would link him to the killings.

Sparing a glance at her watch Alex noted with an ill-concealed sigh of disgust that running back over the facts of the case had taken approximately four minutes. Geesh. She wondered if she were the only one to notice that Time had officially died sometime during this stakeout. It had been over seven hours already and their suspect had yet to move from his position on the bed. Not that she could actually see him in his bed, mind you. That might have at least proved a bit interesting. 

Her partner, Detective Robert Goren, was watching that side of the building. He was the one who let her know where the suspect was. Bobby, as she usually called him, was positioned where he had a direct line of sight into the suspect's bedroom so he could profile the suspect better based on what personal effects he furnished it with. She, on the other hand, was stuck watching the front door of the apartment complex. It was immobile, much like she was at the moment. So in a fit of pique she decided that today she was going to refer to Bobby as Goren because she was cold, in pain and annoyed with the lack of results.

She had taken to scrutinizing the architecture when the cold had first started to seep through her coat. Her location had been chosen with care. The suspect lived in a penthouse suite across the street from a city park. The park bench she was currently laying on was a hard wood that dug into her back. Alex had thought that lying on the bench was going to be better than sitting on the bench, which she had done for the first few hours. The underside of her thighs had begun to burn and her neck was killing her. So she lay down on the bench like it was her plan all along. Dressed to look like she belonged on the bench asleep didn't help matters. At first lying on the bench had felt good. Turned on her side so she could still observe the door she had actually been okay for a while. But then she remembered that she couldn't turn over or her line of sight would be compromised. So she was stuck with three choices: sit, stand, or lay down. None of them provided her with any comfort or more importantly, shelter from what she was now sure was going to be the mother of all storms.

She narrowed her eyes and tried to force the door of the apartment complex open by a sheer force of will. They were waiting for the suspect to leave to meet someone. The problem they had was they didn't exactly know who he was going to meet. Would it be one of the pregnant women? One of the buyers? Or was this man not the ringleader at all and would he instead lead them to that individual? Bobby thought he was the ringleader and that alone was enough to convince Alex. She smirked at that thought and then indulged herself in more thoughts of Bobby, something she rarely did. Well that wasn't entirely accurate—she did think of him, just not _those_ kinds of thoughts…um, that often. They were together so much as a result of their caseload and during that time she thought about what he was saying or doing and all sorts of job-related things. But as far as thinking about Bobby as a person well—Bobby had this uncanny knack of just being able to almost read your mind with one look at you and Alex had learned very quickly not to think anything she didn't want him to know about in his presence.

So being left alone with her thoughts now provided her with what felt like eternity to think about Bobby and she was at a loss. What should she think about first? _Wasn't it you who just decided he was "Goren" today and not "Bobby?"  her inner voice teased, _What happened to that plan?_ Ha ha, she told herself. Back to business. Mmm…his eyes. They were a rich, intense brown and when he focused them on you there was no doubt that his attention was anywhere else. His stare was so penetrating it often unnerved people and if Alex had been a different type of person it might have done that to her too, the first time it happened. But when they had first been introduced as partners and he had turned the full force of that stare on her she just patiently returned it, aware that he was cataloguing her and willing to wait for the verdict. She smiled at the memory. That had been a good day._

Realizing the direction of her thoughts she decided a little mental clarification was in order. She was not mooning over Bobby, er, Goren (_damn it_). Not at all. She was in fact indulging in these thoughts against her will. Practically. See, when two people work well together it's one thing, but when they have "chemistry" that makes their work together noteworthy then it's a whole other ball of wax. And that's the situation Detectives Goren and Eames found themselves in. Well actually she was probably the only one in this mess. While Goren (_A-ha!_ I did it!_) was perpetually observant about, well just about damn near everything, when it came to the relationships he had with the people around him Alex would bet her last paycheck that he barely spent more than two seconds thinking about anyone who wasn't involved in the current case._

No, it was left to her to shoulder the burden alone. The burden of course being the nosy people who just insisted on asking, and re-asking, for details as to the status of her and Goren's relationship. People were far too intimidated by Bobby to dare ask him anything unless they had to. It was up to Alex to wade through the throngs of co-workers who caught up with her anytime they noticed she was away from Bobby. Which meant she tried not to be away from him too much. Which of course furthered the rumors. And thus the vicious cycle perpetuated itself.

The most annoying thing about the constant stares and questions was what happened when Alex was alone. Because when she was alone she asked herself the same questions and wondered at the replies as well. After all, there are only so many times you can hear the same thing before you start buying into the cult mentality. And as far as their precinct went there was a definite "Hidden Goren/Eames Romance" cult that held sway over far too many of her fellow officers. 

As she waited out in the increasingly bitter cold she replayed the usual introductory questions she would get from a cult member.

_What's going on between you and Goren?_

_What do you mean?_

_The way you two are together…is there something going on?_

_Besides the case we're trying to solve?_

_Quit being a smart-ass, you know what I mean._

_No, I don't._

_Are you two going out?_

_Going out? What are we, twelve?_

_Fine.__ Are you dating each other?_

_We're partners._

_And?_

_And what?___

_Don't give me that shit. I see the way you two are together._

_Oh? And what "way" is that?_

This is usually the part where the person floundered around, searching for adequate words to try and describe it. Normally they would sigh, maybe shrug their shoulders, and launch into the description without the words they really wanted.

_I don't know how to describe it, exactly. It's like you guys have this connection. It's almost a tangible thing. You're obviously great partners but there's something else there._

_Care to fill me in?_

_It's__ a hundred little things. Your body language with each other, the way you talk to each other, stuff like that. _

Then they would grin and deliver the blow. The thing that gnawed at Alex for more time than it should. They would feel the rush of triumph and their eyes would gleam with what they considered irrefutable evidence.

_And let's face it; no one can make you smile or laugh quite like Goren can. I mean sometimes your whole face lights up…_

_Of course you would know this because you're what, stalking me?_

_Ha ha, Alex._

But being the level-headed person she was, Alex kept her cool. Just because that business about the smiling and laughing was true didn't mean anything…necessarily. She would roll her eyes and maybe snort before replying.

_So you're telling me because I smile that means I am harboring some deep, unrequited love?_

She dreaded the times when she replied like that; because chances were that someone would say the words that had shocked her into silence the first time she heard them.

_Oh, it's not just you._


	2. Of Medallions and Mayans

The first time someone said that she felt dizzy and light-headed and almost passed out. Seeing her look of confusion they had continued to explain.

_No we think he feels something for you, too._

And damn if those words hadn't kept her up most of that night.

_Yeah, around anybody else Detective Goren isn't anything __like he is with you. I mean he talks to you, he smiles at you, and not like he does when he's trying to crack a perp, either. Don't even get me started on the way you two are in a crime scene, either. Or here at the precinct too, for that matter._

_Come again?_

_Well there can be 20 some people in a room and he explains everything like it's just the two of you there. If it weren't sort of romantic it would be totally creepy. And as far as the way the two of you are here it's like one or the other always has to be at the other person's desk. It's almost as if you can't solve crime unless you're invading each other's personal space._

_Ha ha. That's hilarious and completely untrue._

But no matter what she said they would continue to talk as if she hadn't spoken at all.

_And of course there's the fact that he listens__ to you. He actually hears what you say. That's a rarity we don't see him anxious to repeat with anyone else. _

She would always fall back on her standard reply. Roll her eyes and say, while not quite meeting their gaze:

_"We're partners."_

_"Yes, but you're partners with possibilities."_

People who saw the two of them together were amazed. They…

"Hey Eames," _Speak of the devil.___

She brought her hands together in front of her face like she was blowing air into them to warm up before she spoke into the microphone at her wrist.

"Uh yeah?"

"You got anything?"

_Aside from exposure to every air-borne virus in a ten block radius? No. _

She actually felt like telling him that and the only thing that made her refrain from doing so was what the question really meant. Alex had worked with Bobby long enough to know that he could handle being by himself for long periods of time. Sometimes there were these long silences between them, especially when Bobby was trying to figure something out, and suddenly he would turn to her and start talking as if he had never stopped. Some may have found that a little disconcerting and even have thought that Bobby dismissed Alex's presence from his mind entirely and only addressed her when he noticed that she was still there. But Alex knew that wasn't true. She knew that Bobby appreciated her patience and that starting a conversation up seemingly out of nowhere was his way of saying thanks. He recognized that she was there the whole time, thinking about the case like he was. If he were to dismiss her from his attention he wouldn't bother bouncing ideas off of her, or go one step further—he wouldn't bother to track her down so he _could_ bounce ideas off of her, and she had enough late-night phone calls to prove that he often did just that.

So in their current situation his question was more a gesture of concern. After all, if she had something would she keep it to herself? He recognized that she was there with him and he was taking the time to make sure she was okay. She figured asking her outright must go against the guy code or something. She realized she had yet to answer.

"I'm afraid not. No sign of life here. You?"

"No. He must have taken some Valium or some other sedative earlier in the bathroom. He's out like a light."

"Are you sure he's not dead?" She cringed at her tone and hoped that Bobby wouldn't comment. _Boy I wish that didn't sound so hopeful! Although it would_ mean I could get up and leave.__

"I can see him breathing." _Thank god he didn't say anything._

Sometimes Alex felt so, well, stupid around Bobby. It was hard not to, what with his genius level IQ and immense storehouse of knowledge that he could access at random and ad nauseam. Most of the time she really enjoyed the way his mind worked and admired it. Sometimes she even teased him about the wealth and breadth of his knowledge. She recalled one incident in particular. They had been called to the apartment of a missing woman. Bobby had immediately been drawn to the bedroom wall, upon which was plastered writing in a language Alex didn't recognize but which she was sure he did.

"Go ahead, impress me," she had said, knowing full well he was about to do just that.

He had turned to face her and had given her a searching look, not even cracking a smile before explaining what language it was and the possible significance. But he had admitted not knowing what the words were, just the language. 

He had kept his gaze on her the whole time he had been giving her the description. He probably didn't even notice that he did that but she did and it was one of the many things she was glad about when it came to her partner. He was the consummate gentleman and treated her with the utmost respect. Whenever he was cracking a suspect he would always refer to them as a team, even if he had really figured out the whodunit without her. Sighing she realized she could go on lauding Bobby's finer qualities all day.

But the day to do that was not today. Today she was freezing, alone, and about to get soaked. Adding a feeling of incompetence to the list didn't seem to be out of line. She sighed at the feeling.

"What's the matter?"

"I just feel so stupid." _And yet behold! There are new depths to my stupidity. Why did you say that, Alex?_ She almost groaned aloud but thankfully caught herself.

"About what?"

What indeed? Think fast Alex, think fast!

"Just that I shouldn't be worried about being comfortable when this case is more important."

Okay so sometimes going with your first thought isn't always the best choice. Like now. Oh lord, deliver me!

And he did. In the form of an enormous crack of lightning and a roar of thunder which gave way to what could only be termed as a torrential downpour. Within moments Alex's hair was plastered to her skull and her clothes were thoroughly drenched. She started thinking about getting something hot to drink after this…maybe coffee? Mmm, she could almost taste the slightly bitter aftertaste and feel the liquid as it just barely burned her tongue, just the way she liked it. Or maybe hot chocolate? It was almost that time of year.

A thunderous boom shook the city and streaks of lightning lit up the night sky. Seconds later all of the lights within the area went out, plunging the city into darkness.

"Bobby?" she called out instinctively.

"Damn it!" he cursed back.

"I bet that woke him up," she muttered to herself, still keeping a watchful eye on the door. How was she supposed to distinguish him now? Maybe she should move closer? Yeah, that's what she would do. She was on her feet and moving before she remembered she needed to tell Bobby where she was going.

"Goren, I'm moving in closer. I'm having a hard time seeing the door."

"Eames? He's out of bed...I can't see him!" came Bobby's reply, which caused her to pick up the pace. She crossed the street and went to stand beneath the building's awning. 

"Hey, Goren? I'm in position outside of the door. What's the status on our guy?"

"Well you were right, that _did_ wake him up. He's just come out of the bathroom and seems to be muddling around from what I can tell. I can only see in when the lightning strikes." He answered in a much calmer tone of voice. 

            Alex settled against the building and waited for another update from Bobby or for their suspect to make his presence known. She didn't have long to wait.

            "Eames, he's making a call on his cell phone, seems agitated," A long pause followed this declaration. In fact Bobby didn't speak until the next two bolts of lightning had struck. "He's gone. He's headed your way, Alex."

            "All right."

            She didn't have much time pass before the action heated up. The suspect exited the door and waited at the end of the awning, apparently for something, or someone. Hmm, what could it be? Someone to pick him up? Yes, maybe a cab? Under cover of darkness Alex was able to move so she stood closer to the suspect. Moments later a yellow taxi cab pulled up and she stepped even nearer to him, trying to hear his destination. The door shut in her face just as she made it and the cab pulled away. Running along the sidewalk by it she trained her eyes where the door was and waited for the next stab of lightning. Once it struck she was able to make out the cab's medallion number and she stopped running for a moment, repeating the number in her head a few times until she was sure she had it memorized. She turned and made her way back to the hotel, standing underneath the awning again. Bobby's voice soon reached her.

            "Alex? You there?"

            "Yeah I'm here. He got into a cab. I couldn't hear where he was going but I got the medallion number. I'm sorry. I'm back outside the complex."

            "I'll be there in a few minutes."

            Crap. Bobby was disappointed in her. No doubt if he were down here he would have found a way to share the guy's taxi or at the very least he would have had some ancient Mayan trick for reading lips in the dark to use. She smiled a little at that. He pulled up in front of the apartment complex a little while later and as he got out she saw he had an umbrella ready to go for her. She started to go for the driver's side door out of habit but caught herself before actually opening the door and let Bobby lead her to the passenger side where she was pleasantly surprised to see that he had laid out a blanket on the seat and she saw another one on his side, obviously to hand to her when she got in. She shook her head before getting in to try and rid herself of some of the water. Bobby made his way back to the driver's side while she peeled off the top layer of her outfit and folded it into a wet pile that she placed on the floor of the vehicle. As he got back into the car and handed her the extra blanket she noticed that the heater had been turned on. She was touched by the thoughtful gesture and consequently felt even worse for losing the suspect and she sighed in frustration. Bobby looked over at her and frowned at the look on her face.

            "What is it?" he asked.

            "I'm sorry that I lost Jun-Thai. I know how frustrated you must feel and I accept full responsibility."

            He spared her another glance as he maneuvered the wet streets. She looked like she felt guilty and he realized that she thought he was upset with her. He would have laughed but he could tell she was taking it a little too seriously. He decided to cut straight to the heart of her fears.

            "I'm not upset, Alex. Why would I be?"

            "He got away."

            "Not exactly. We have the medallion number. We'll call the company and find out when the cab's due back in. Then we'll go question the driver and get a look at his trip log. From there we have an idea of who he was meeting. We're one step closer to nailing these guys."

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Standard Disclaimer applies…..I own the plot, not the characters

Spoiler: All eppys

Author's Note: Thank yous are as follows:

Autumngold—Thank you! I love G/E stories too! 

daf9—Cute play on words! I like it!

Chloe—Awww thanks! I appreciate that!

Kiera Kingsley—Yes ma'am! Thank you!


	3. Analyzing Word Choice

            "If you were there you would have heard what he said or found a way to ride along with him."

            Sometimes he wondered about his partner. He knew that people gave her a lot of grief about being paired up with him and that for some reason rumors were going around that he did all the work and she was just the researcher. He couldn't fathom how anyone could think she wasn't absolutely vital to their partnership, especially Alex herself. But her current tone told him she considered her presence tonight a burden. He struggled to allay her concerns.

            "Or not. I doubt he would have taken kindly to turning around and seeing a guy who towered over him trying to hustle him into an enclosed space."

            Well that did make her feel a little better.

            "Maybe. You're just trying to make me feel better."

            "Depends." 

            "On what?" she asked.

            "If it's working or not."

            She pretended to think about it until he shifted his gaze to her.

            "Maybe just a little."

            He smiled at her and she found herself wishing he would smile more often. It changed the whole dynamic of his face. She turned to look out the window and it was then she noticed where they were going.

            "Why aren't we headed toward the precinct?"

            "We're going to your place."

            "Why?"

            He looked at her like she was crazy.

            "So you can get some dry clothes."

            Sometimes she had to wonder about herself. Why had that possibility not occurred to her? _Maybe because your mind was occupied with another reason for going to your apartment?__ One that would happen say, in your dreams? She twisted her head away from Bobby and closed her eyes for a moment, willing the negative self-talk away. A dose of humor was in order, she decided._

            "Oh, okay. But only if you promise to make yourself useful and call the cab company while we're there."

            "No deal."

            "What?"

            "You can call the cab company now and I'll call the pizza guy while we're at your place, if it makes you happy."

            Pizza sounded really good.

            "Mmm, that sounds like a great idea."

            She reached over into the back seat and pulled out the phone book they kept in a plastic bin along with spare pens, notebooks, and other odds and ends like a deck of playing cards. She twisted and felt along the car floor for her cell phone.

            "It feels weird to be doing this," she commented.

            "What? Searching for the phone?" he retorted dryly.

            "There's that infamous Goren sense of humor trying to rear its ugly head," she teased, tossing him a smile over her shoulder as she continued digging, "I meant having you drive while I do something else."

            "Yeah it's weird for me too. I forgot to move the seat back before I got in and I banged my knee on the steering column."

            "Oh, poor baby," she sympathized as she reached over and rubbed his knee without really thinking that move through.

            _Oh dear lord in heaven. Alex, were you born this stupid or are you learning as you go? You better come up with some smart-ass comment pronto or else he is going to freak out more than he probably already is._

            "Are you sure you're going to be able to walk up the stairs to my place? Maybe I should just put you in the freight elevator."

            Thankfully Bobby didn't seem to think anything of her actions or if he did he sure recovered quickly.

            "Oh is _that_ the infamous Alex Eames sense of humor I've heard so much about?"

            Finding the phone she straightened up and sent her partner a mock glare.

            "Don't make me hurt you. Now try not to sing along with the radio too loud while I make these phone calls, okay?"

            He almost laughed at that one.

            "You wish I was the one who sang along with the radio, Eames. Unlike some people whose names have been withheld I am capable of self-control."

            "Right. 'Cause _I'm_ the one who once began dancing to salsa music to fake out a suspect?"

            "That had nothing to do with losing my sense of control."

            She just smiled and went about dialing the number and asking for the manager. By the time they arrived at her apartment she had let Captain Deakins know of their progress and they had learned that the cab wasn't due back for another four hours. Plenty of time for them to eat and get back to the station and maybe if they were lucky they could relax for a bit before rushing back. The power came back on just as they arrived at her door. Unlocking it Alex stepped through to make way for Bobby.

            "You want the usual?" he asked as she disappeared into the bedroom.

            "Yes please," Her voice called out. "Would it bother you if I took a quick shower, too?"

            He shook his head although she couldn't see him and told her to go ahead. Then he started to think about her choice of words. It was one of his personality quirks. He rarely heard something without immediately analyzing word choice. Would it _bother him if she showered? He ran through various synonyms for the word bother:  aggravate, agitate, alarm, bore, concern, disconcert, disgust, dismay, displease, distress, disturb, eat, embarrass, hurt, impede, inconvenience, insult, intrude upon, irk, irritate, pain, perplex, perturb, provoke, pursue, put out, tantalize, taunt, tease, torment, trouble, upset, and vex.             _

            Would any of those words apply? What word would he have chosen to use instead of bother? Well let's see…if he was thinking about Alex in the shower then...wait a minute! Where had _that thought come from? His innocent twisting of her words suddenly took on indications that were anything but innocent. But instead of trying to think of another subject for his brain to toy around with he indulged himself and continued on. So his mind started to eliminate the synonyms based on his own preferred usage and the current scenario. Would he say that the idea of Alex in the shower aggravated, alarmed, or bored him? Not likely. Would he say the idea filled him with disgust, dismay or displeasure? These were unlikely as well. He coughed, feeling a little uncomfortable. But once he locked onto something he rarely let go and now wasn't proving to be one of those rare times._

            In fact the longer he stood there dwelling on it the less probable it was that any of the words would apply save a few choice ones like disconcert, tantalize, and tease. He released a deep audible breath. Yes, those fit nicely. The knowledge that she was showering one room away definitely tantalized him, the images teased him and his feelings in general on the subject left him disconcerted.

            So in conclusion did Alex use the right word? Probably not in the way she thought but as he contemplated that statement some more he definitely imagined himself being bothered. He finally broke that train of thought and set about looking for something to distract him.  As he wandered to her bookcase he loosened the collar of his shirt and browsed the titles, not really seeing them. His mind drifted back to thoughts of his partner. Sometimes she said some things—like this recent shower comment, for one—that just begged his poor brain to snap to attention from the immediate visual. He recalled one case where the suspect had called her a devil. Before he had the chance to defend her Eames had come right back with a snappy one-liner: "You should see me in a blue dress." 

            And damn if his brain didn't immediately picture Alex in a blue dress. It was navy blue. Thin spaghetti straps held up the bodice, which prominently featured a low neckline. The material was silk…whoa boy! What was he thinking? Goren had difficulty but he was able to shake that memory. Almost immediately another one sprang up to take its place. They were inspecting a dead body and Alex had taken one look at the woman's miniskirt and had known what year the woman had died. When he looked at her she had just shrugged and he felt compelled to comment.

            "You wore one of those?"

            "Yeah. And I looked good in it, too."

            He bet she did then and didn't doubt how she'd look in one now. That thought had zinged through his brain before he was even aware of it. Alex's voice reached him and effectively snapped him out of his musings. 

            "I'll be out in a few minutes. Can you entertain yourself?"

            "I'm sure I can manage," he joked. He decided to call the pizza guy and then maybe read a little to pass the time. After making the call he walked over to peruse the reading material available a little bit more seriously this time. He smiled as he came across _Dr. Seuss' Oh, the Places You'll Go!_ That was such an Alex book to have. He loved her collection of books. She was definitely like him when it came to possessing a lot of eclectic reading material. But his tastes were a little different than hers. Whereas she liked a lot of fiction he strayed toward nonfiction. He figured between the two of them they had a pretty decent library. It was good that they didn't have the same taste in books, he mused. That would make things boring. The way it was now she could tell him about the latest novel she was reading and he could usually give her some factual references to go along with it. Bobby grinned as he recalled their conversation on the way to work a few days ago. She had been telling him all about this book about a woman from Southeast Asia, specifically Korea, who moved to New York to start a new life for herself, leaving her family and friends behind. Years later tragedy forced her to go back home and she was finding the transition difficult. 

            Bobby had been able to tell Alex a little bit about the customs and climate of the country, having served a tour there. The first time he had done that with her she had just looked at him for a moment and he wondered if maybe they weren't going to get along too well after all. It was in the beginning of their partnership and Bobby had bent down to pick up a book that had fallen off of her desk. Looking at the title he realized he had never read it and had asked Alex about it, figuring they might as well try and build some sort of working friendship and that this was as good a way as any to start the process. He knew he had this penchant for offering any relevant facts his mind had accumulated over the years whenever he sensed an opening. But as he spouted off some random fact her look had been one of disbelief. Maybe his new partner thought he was too strange to work with?         

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Disclaimer: I own the plot…well I share it with my muse, actually. The characters, though, are a whole different story. I don't own them.

Author's Notes: Thank you's are below:

The Jack Loving Misfit—Would that be Jack McCoy, perchance? I really appreciate you taking the time to review and I'm glad you're enjoying the story!

Autumngold—Well I don't want Bobby to be totally oblivious in this story and every little bit he does to be nice to Alex is all good. I will try to update as quickly as I can! Thank you for checking in again…I really am grateful!


	4. Bad Thoughts and Good Imagery

            But to his delight her face had broken open in a huge smile and she had declared that his input was going to make her enjoy the book that much more. So she had continued with the next book and he found himself talking with her about what he read too, and they compared it to other things from their respective pasts. From there it grew until he realized as he stood waiting for her to emerge from her bedroom that they talked about pretty much anything and everything. 

            Except dating. They sort of glossed over that subject. _Now why was that? he wondered. Maybe he would ask her about it as they ate. For now he decided to go with one of her Calvin & Hobbes collections and sat down to read._

            Thankfully Alex had no idea what was going on in her partner's head. If she did it was a safe bet that she would lock herself in her bedroom and wait to come out until the coast was clear. As it was she found herself trying desperately to just hurry up and take her shower without getting distracted by thoughts of her partner. But when she thought about the fact that she was naked only one room away from him her mind went spinning and ended up conjuring all sorts of bad thoughts. And they weren't about any case they were working on. No these were bad as in _bad_. 

            Like how she suddenly wondered: what would it be like to kiss Bobby? Of course that thought would just _have_ to occur to her now, right? Sometimes he smiled at her in this way that she was sure few people had ever seen. And she found herself thinking about his lips and that smile. They held something, she was sure of it. They were full of so many delicious promises and potential. At least in her imagination they were. And of course she couldn't be taking a shower with Bobby in her apartment without envisioning him taking a shower. Oh dear. This wasn't good. Well the image certainly was but she shouldn't be doing this at all really but now especially. She groaned and banged her head against the wall.  She turned under the water and sighed; thankful that the spray drowned out any noise she made and set about the business of washing and rinsing as rapidly as possible.

            When she had finally finished getting dressed and had run a comb through her still-wet hair she emerged from the bedroom and saw Bobby reading on her couch. She walked over to him and smiled when she saw his choice of reading material. He glanced up when he heard her walking over and scooted over to make room for her. She peered over his shoulder as she sat down next to him and laughed when she read the strip he was on. 

            "That's one of my favorites, and it's quoted pretty often as proof in the debate over intelligent life in the universe," Alex said, smiling at him.

            Bobby was about to say something but the buzzer from the outside entrance of the building sounded before he had a chance to. Alex pushed herself up and went to the door, turning and walking backwards to talk to her partner as she made her way across the floor.

            "You want to get us some drinks?"

            "Sure. What do you want?" he replied, turning around to face her when he heard her talking. She paused in the act of placing her hand on the intercom.

            "Some kind of soda with caffeine," she decided after a moment's pause.

            Goren got up from the couch and placed the book back in the bookcase. He scanned the rest of the titles again while he thought about what he wanted to drink. He decided to just have what she was having and made his way into the kitchen. As he passed by the door he looked over at the pizza delivery guy who had just arrived. He was a young guy, probably college-aged if Bobby had to guess. He was flirting with Alex but he became the model of professional behavior when he saw Goren's large frame pass through his line of vision. As soon as Bobby had entered the kitchen he allowed himself a small smile. That time he hadn't even been _trying to intimidate anyone—sometimes it was as effortless as could be imagined._

            Alex came in and put the box down on the table. She went over to a drawer and rummaged around for a moment.

            "Red, yellow, blue or green?" she asked him.

            Bobby shook his head and grinned. Never let it be said that Alex didn't have a few quirks of her own. She always drank soda with a straw when one was available. Anytime he was over she would offer him one and he usually took her up on the offer if only because it made him smile later.

            "Hmm, I think red to go with the tomato sauce," he replied.

            "Good choice. Me, I think I'll go with blue."

            "Based on what?"

            "Well the straws are striped with white. So if you have red and white and I choose blue and white we're being all patriotic."

            She looked up and found Bobby looking at her with that half-smile that meant he was trying not to laugh. She rolled her eyes and opened one of the cabinets to get out plates.

            "So are we eating in here or in front of the television tonight?" she asked as she handed him two plates. It was really a toss-up which one they did more. She figured it was probably about even. 

What they chose depended on mood, time of day, season of the year, and a host of other variables. When they did watch television they were usually able to agree on the choice. They simply turned to The Discovery Channel and left it at that unless there was something one or the other really wanted to watch. For her it could be a show about muscle cars; for him it could be a documentary on a favorite artist.

            "Do you have a preference?" he replied.

            "Well I want to hear all about what you saw in Jun-Thai's room so let's eat in here and I can listen without being distracted."

            "Sounds good to me."

            Bobby took care of transferring the pizza to their plates while Alex got the glasses and filled them with ice, placing the straws inside before pouring their sodas. She sat down across from him and handed him a napkin before taking one herself. She tried really hard not to think about how very domestic they sometimes were in their various routines. Thankfully one part of this routine was eating for at least a solid two minutes before talking so she could think a thought like that and still have time to think of something safer later.

            Goren began talking first after the allotted two minutes.

            "He had a quote from 'The Art of War' framed above the headboard." 

            "Which one?" she asked.

            "'All warfare is based on deception.'"

            "Hmmm," she said, "That's rather odd."

            "I thought so too. Why do you find it odd?"

            She shrugged.

            "Well it's just that he probably considers himself a businessman and there seem to be quotes more apropos to that climate."

            He was nodding as she spoke.

            "Exactly what I thought. But maybe it refers to his deceit of the pregnant women?"

            She chewed thoughtfully and considered that notion.

            "Could be. It just feels off, that's all."

            "I know what you mean. I'll have to think about it more later and see if it ends up making sense somehow."

            "Right. Later. Now tell me some more about his place."

            He raised his eyebrows at her and took another bite of pizza. She exhaled loudly in frustration.

            "Fine. I'm sorry. I don't mean to take such a commanding tone. Please tell me more about his place. I promise if you want to know anything about the front door of that complex that I will regale you with the minutest of details to make it up to you."

            Admittedly a bit of a low blow, reminding him of how boring her aspect of the stakeout was, but she couldn't have Bobby think she was just going to kowtow to his silent demands for her patience. He had the decency to look guilty.

            "I'm sorry, Alex. I know you must have been bored out of your mind. Not to mention cold, wet, uncomfortable..."

            Now it was her turn to feel guilty. He certainly gave as good as he got. She stopped him with a dismissive wave of her hand.

            "Forget it. Nothing a good night's sleep or some serious stretching won't cure. What did the sheets in his bedroom look like?"

            He didn't say anything about the abrupt switch in topics, just answered her question.

            "Well for starters his sheets were yellow. And they were made out of silk, as far as I could tell. Very decadent. In China yellow is the color of the earth and of the emperor, or at least it used to be. His bathroom was decorated in marble and the hardware was gold plated. The shower had a floor-to-ceiling steam door and what I imagine would be a pretty impressive bathtub. The towels had designer labels as did all of the toiletries. The whole place was immaculate. He likes things neat. He has expensive tastes but I think they're acquired tastes."

            "What makes you say that?"

            "It looked like he was trying too hard. Plus it's all too much. It's like he _has to have all the opulence around him."_

            He leaned his elbows on the table and gestured with his hands.

            "There was something about the sheets that I found interesting."

            "And what would that be, pray tell?"

            He cocked his head to the side and pinned her with his gaze before clenching one hand in a loose fist and tapping it against his chin.

            "Well when you think of a masculine room with silk sheets your mind…"

            "…goes to colors like black or navy blue. Colors we consider male colors," she finished for him, nodding. "So why choose yellow?"

            He pointed his index finger at her as he spoke.

            "Bingo. In deference to something in his past, maybe? He probably chose the color subconsciously as a reminder."

            "Any clues in the room that gave a hint as to what that could be?" she asked.

            "No, not that I could see. He had a few books: _The __Kama__ Sutra,__ The Garden Encyclopedia of Feng Shui, and _The Art of War_ were on one of his nightstands."_

            "Any of the spines cracked to indicate he'd actually opened any of them or are they just for show?"

            He smirked at that. He had thought the same thing when he read through the titles.

            "Aside from _The Art of War_ no sign he'd actually be able to tell you anything other than what the dust jacket says," he replied before getting serious again. "But there was something that bothered me about his place."

            "What was that?"

            "He had no pictures of people. No friends, no family, just photographs of architecture and landscapes."

            "Maybe he has no friends or family?" she suggested with a shrug.

            "Maybe. Or he has them; he just doesn't want anyone finding out about them."

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Disclaimer: Reality bites, my friends. And the reality is that I do not own the characters, just the plot.

Author's Note: Thanks so much to those ppl who have reviewed my story. You are all appreciated!

Ravenblackleather—and your review made *me* smile, so thank you! 

Jra—I have one word for you...THANKS!

Cyclone—Aww you're too sweet! Thanks so much! 

Kiera Kingsley—Well I appreciate the vote of confidence! You're awesome! 

Edythe—I'm glad you're enjoying my characterizations. Thanks for reviewing!


	5. Musings About Partners and Pie

            She chewed thoughtfully.

            "Unless he inadvertently gives something up we may have to wait for a warrant to be able to get the answer to that," she told him, aware that he was disappointed in not having the means to find the answer out immediately, "So what other items of interest did you see? Or were you too busy memorizing his sleep patterns and blink rates to notice anything else?"

            He shook his head and almost grinned. She was nuts, sometimes. Alex had this way of saying the most asinine things to get his mind off of something that was troubling him and as usual it worked again. He felt better.

            "Well I was going to save this for after dinner but I _suppose I could share with you now."_

            She looked intrigued, crossing her arms and leaning them on the table.

            "Ooh, do tell."

            "He has a collection of swords. Mostly Asian styled, a few that looked like they could actually be worth something. All of the scabbards seemed to have a matching sword. There weren't that many but there could be more on the walls that I didn't see."

            He lapsed into silence and Alex knew he was thinking about something he noticed.

            "What else?"

            He shrugged. 

            "There was another scabbard. It looked a lot older than the rest and the blade was missing."

            "So you're thinking it might house our murder weapon?"

            He lifted his shoulders again.

            "I'm not an expert on swords. It could be that he only has the scabbard. I need to look up the description of the scabbard I saw and see if I can find a picture of the sword somewhere. Maybe it's a famous replica or something."

            "Do you have a book at your place that would tell you that?" She asked, trying to remember if she'd ever seen such a book on his shelves.

            "No, I don't," he responded with a shake of his head.

            She looked over at the clock on the wall and pursed her lips.

            "Well the library is closed now so the best bet would be to look online and see if we can come across something. Maybe there's a bulletin board or chat room where people who collect swords meet and we can ask them about it."

            She glanced over at him and almost laughed at his expression. He was obviously torn—on the one hand she knew he was dying to find out about the sword while on the other hand they were at her place so he didn't want to appear rude by taking over her computer. Plus they were still eating. She hoped that one day he would realize just how lucky he was to have her for a partner. She nodded her head in the direction of the laptop and smiled at his now-hopeful expression.

            "Go on, get over there. You know you're dying to look it up. Just take your food over there so I can't be accused of withholding nourishment for the sake of a lead."

            "Thanks, Alex." Bobby got up and carried his food and drink over to the desk where she kept her laptop. She heard him breathe an audible sigh of relief when the computer finished booting up and he was able to start typing in searches. Rolling her eyes and smiling to herself she finished the rest of her pizza in silence, content to just watch Bobby's expressions as he worked.

            As he searched Bobby was indeed well aware of just how lucky he was to have Alex as his partner. Back when he worked in Narcotics the few partners he had were never able to put up with his behavior patterns for too long. They didn't appreciate late-night phone calls or understand why he couldn't just wait until he saw them a few hours later. They thought it was weird that he was perfectly content to let them drive all the time. And the few times they had seen him in action at a crime scene? Forget it. His hands-on method of dealing with corpses freaked them out beyond belief.

            But not Alex. She was different. When they first met Bobby had been stunned that he was greeting his new partner, despite his training not to judge a book by its cover. He was intrigued when he noticed not only that he had slipped into his full-on stare mode unawares but that Alex didn't seem to mind—in fact she had just looked right back at him, waiting for him to finish. That was the first time he had felt hopeful that he would finally be able to work with a partner for longer than a few months.

            Fast forward to five years later and it was a dream come true for him. He had found the perfect partner in Alex. She never complained about late night calls. She wasn't even bothered when sometimes they were late night visits instead. She just always made him go brew the coffee while she curled up on the couch and tried to sneak in a few more moments of sleep. Alex was more than happy to drive, too, having grown up with a love of cars. While she wasn't as hands-on as he was with the corpses by a long shot at least she was willing to give him the elbow room and support he needed to perform that function of the job. 

            And the silences? God bless her. It had to be the thing he appreciated the most about her. Take their present situation as the perfect example. She was okay with just sitting there thinking about the case or doing something else while he went about his own thing. She never minded when he went into his own head and would never say a thing if they went long minutes without speaking. She was always there for him to bounce things off of. Their collar rate was the highest in the precinct and he had no doubt that it was a true team effort. If people thought he was really the one solving all the crimes they failed to appreciate what an effect Alex had on any talents he possessed to put together the pieces of the puzzle. He needed her to do his job to the best of his abilities. It was funny how the thought of depending on a person so completely had once terrified him; but now that he and Alex had been a team for so long he felt none of the negative things he always assumed he would if he ever relied on someone to the degree that he now counted on her. There was the fear of losing himself, of course. There was the worry that he would become bitter and resentful towards that person for their influence in his life. There was the anxiety that he could never function again without them, and a myriad of other concerns that now seemed so distant and faraway. 

            He felt like he finally found himself when he became Alex's partner. He welcomed Alex's influence in, on, and around his life and most days he felt like he wanted to be around her 24 hours a day just to get more of the positive feelings he got from being with her. His worry that he couldn't function without Alex had a grain of truth in it except now he realized he didn't _want to work without her. Being with Alex enabled him to feel like a better person and he never wanted to go back to viewing himself the way he did before he met her._

            Suddenly his eyes picked up on a few keywords in a description to an internet link and he clicked on it, anxious to discover what it was. Scanning the contents he nodded and turned to Alex, beckoning her over to him as he began to read. She complied and moved a chair over so she could see the screen.

            "This is a description of the history of one of the types of swords I saw on his wall. Listen to this. It says: 'The katana, originating in the orient, was designed for lightning fast, slashing strikes. The martial style that developed in the orient called for precise control of one's body, and with that faster and faster blades were needed to fight faster and faster warriors…The katana is still today one of the most popular and prevailing oriental weapons, while the western swords have changed so much that no one sword can really be called prevalent.'" Bobby paused for a moment and then looked at Alex.

            "But this isn't the type of sword you think fits in the scabbard, right?" she asked.            

            "No, I don't think so." He twisted so he was almost facing her and then proceeded to look between her and the screen as he pointed out details. "Look here. See how the blade of the katana is straight? Well the scabbard I saw had a slight curve to it, which isn't typical of the katana blades at all. So maybe it's a different type of sword."

            She nodded in response before tapping her finger against the screen.

            "You know who might know something about the type of sword we're dealing with? A company that specializes in reproducing swords for renaissance faires, medieval tournament re-enactments, that sort of stuff. If you do a general search for sword making there's a good chance you'll find a site with pictures. And if all else fails we can sketch the design and take it to the library tomorrow."

            "Mm-hmm. That sounds good. I'll sketch the design just in case and you can start looking up sites that deal with sword replication."

            "Okay."

            Bobby moved out of the way so she could take his chair while he went over to his binder and picked it up, coming back to take Alex's recently vacated seat. By the time she had opened a dozen or so windows with various sword making companies' homepages in them he had finished his sketch. He looked over at the screen and frowned, tapping his fingers against the edge of the desk as he thought.

            "Since the sword we know about is Asian it makes sense to start with that type of weapon."

            Alex stood up and moved out of the way, gesturing to the chair.

            "Be my guest."

            "You don't have to move," he protested.

            She lifted her shoulders in a dismissive shrug.

            "I know I don't. But if _you_ look this up then that leaves _me_ free to go and get some dessert."

            Goren stood up and smiled at her, moving out of the way so she could scoot past him. Alex walked into the kitchen and surveyed the offerings, sighing when she realized she didn't have anything chocolate. A mug of hot cocoa had sounded really good when she was day dreaming about hot beverages on the bench earlier.

            "What's the matter?" Bobby called out.

            She shook her head and smiled. That man was too perceptive sometimes.

            "Nothing. I was just lamenting the lack of hot chocolate in the apartment. It looks like I'm going to have to settle for apple pie heated up in the microwave. Would you like some with the last of the vanilla ice cream in the freezer?"

            She waited for a few seconds, aware that he had heard her at some level. It was just going to take his brain a moment to catch up and process.

            "Um, yeah actually. That would be great. Thanks, Alex." 

            Smiling to herself she got out a couple of bowls and went looking for the pie cutter. After looking in a few drawers she gave up and fished a butter knife out instead. She put her bowl in the microwave and traveled over to the freezer and got out the ice cream, muttering to herself about forgetting to look for the ice cream scooper when she was looking for the pie cutter. Fortunately the ice cream scooper was in with the rest of the silverware and she grabbed it along with two forks. She dished out the ice cream into Bobby's bowl and got her bowl out of the microwave and scooped out the rest of the ice cream for herself. Alex placed the empty carton in the sink and filled it with water. Then she picked up both bowls and went back into the living room where Bobby was sitting.

            She placed the bowl by his left side and moved to put hers down on the coffee table in front of the couch. She went into her room and got the current case file from her briefcase and came back and sat down, positioning the ice cream on her lap and the case file off to the side so she could read it while eating.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Disclaimer: I officially diss any claim. I do not own the characters.

Author's Note: Thank yous are below: I appreciate the time you've all taken to read.

MsVinD—Hi there! Well thank you very much for writing…your comments are very much appreciated! Btw, love the name!

Rlurry—Thank you! I'll do my best to keep churning it out.

Cookie—Thanks and I'm happy to do you that favor. Do *me* a favor and keep reviewing LOCI writers so we can get more G/E stories out there! 


	6. Coffee, Crooning, and Creeps

            "You remembered, thank you," Bobby said, catching her attention a few moments later.

            "Remembered what?" Alex asked, creasing her forehead. She looked up but he wasn't looking at her.

            "That I would want to eat with my left hand and that I don't like my pie heated up," he replied and then he fell back into silence.

            She grinned and went back to eating and reading. 

            "Hey Alex, I think I found something," Bobby interrupted a little while later.

            She got up and moved over to stand behind him, looking over his shoulder.

            "Whatcha got?" she questioned.

            "Well I think that the type of sword is a saber," he explained, pointing the picture that was up on the screen. "Notice the slight curve to the scabbard shown next to it? It seems to mimic the type I saw."

            She patted his shoulder and leaned around him to pick up his now-empty bowl.

            "Good work, Detective."

            She grabbed her own dish and went into the kitchen to place the bowls in the sink after rinsing them out. After wiping her hands on a nearby dish towel she went back to the couch and propped her feet on the edge of the coffee table. Picking up the case file she proceeded to read a bit more until she started to feel drowsy.

            "Hey, Goren." 

            "Yeah?" he replied without taking his eyes off of the screen.

            "How much time do we have until we need to go talk to the taxi driver?"

            He consulted his watch and turned to face her.

            "About an hour, hour and fifteen minutes."

            Nodding she tipped her head back so it rested against the couch cushion and closed her eyes while Bobby went back to reading. Reaching blindly along the back of the couch she felt the edge of the afghan her grandmother had knitted and pulled it towards her and spread it out. Deciding she would be more comfortable laying down she held the blanket up and twisted her body so she was lying down. Knowing that Bobby would leave if he saw her sleeping she warned him against making a move without her.

            "If I'm asleep when it's time to go wake me up, okay?"

            "Sure, Eames," he responded and Alex swore she could hear his smile.

            Bobby set the alarm on his watch for half an hour and went back to devouring all the information he could on sabers while Alex fell asleep. All too soon his watch beeped and he reluctantly finished his notes, making sure he noted the web address he had just visited. He pushed the chair back and stood up to stretch. Then he went into the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee to brew, knowing it would help ease Alex into wakefulness. Once he shut the machine off he got two travel mugs down from one of her cabinets, recognizing one as his own that he'd left a few weeks ago. Then he carried them into the living room and sat on his heels near Alex, holding the coffee under her nose so she'd breathe it in and wake up.

            Alex's lips twitched as the scent filled her nostrils and she sighed softly, just wanting one more minute of sleep even though awareness was already intruding on her. The twitching became a smirk when Bobby's voice reached her ears but she still refused to open her eyes.

            "Hey Al-ex," he called out in a sing-song voice, "Time to wake uh-up. I made you some coff-ee."

            "Mmm, okay," she said, but remained prone for a moment longer.

            Standing above her Bobby just grinned and rolled his eyes. His partner was hard to wake up, to put it mildly. She didn't yell or get cranky; she just refused to move until she felt like it.

            Finally Alex opened her eyes and stretched, then tossed the blanket aside and stood up, reaching for the coffee with one hand while the other rubbed her eyes. Taking a sip she sighed in bliss and closed her eyes. Tilting her head she opened her eyes and fixed Bobby with a look and a smile.

            "You are way too good to me sometimes, you know that?"

            "Don't I ever."

            After Alex had searched through her closet for a warmer (or at least drier) coat they made their way back down to the car, where she insisted on driving, despite Bobby's protests.

            "I don't mind driving, Alex."

            "I know that, and I know why you're insisting, too."

            "Oh?"

            "Yes. You're afraid I'm going to fall asleep at the wheel. But it ain't gonna happen so knock it off and get in the car already."

            He raised his hands in defeat and walked over to the passenger side, where he remembered to pull the seat back before getting in. They made their way down to the cab company's central garage quickly, with Goren talking about what he had learned regarding sabers to help pass the time. They pulled up in the parking lot and checked in at the front desk.

            "Hello," Alex greeted the sleepy young man within the glass booth, "I'm Detective Eames. This is my partner Detective Goren. I spoke with Mr. Lipstill a little while ago. I believe he's expecting us."

            The man had suddenly buzzed wide awake with Alex's use of the word "detective" and by the two badges being flashed. He picked up the handset of his desk phone.

            "Uh sure. I'll call Mr. L. If you'll have a seat?"

            "Thanks so much," Eames replied, although she was the only one to take him up on the offer. As usual Goren chose to walk around, inspecting everything within sight. A few minutes later a rumpled man emerged from a doorway behind the glass booth. Alex stood up and moved so she was positioned next to Goren, their "united front" look as she liked to call it.

            "I'm Lipstill. How can I help you?"

            Eames offered her hand first.

            "I'm Detective Eames. We spoke on the phone earlier? This is my partner, Detective Goren."

            Mr. Lipstill seemed disinclined to smile and was gazing at Goren with a look of total mistrust even as he shook his hand. Alex knew she would have to amp up the sweet talking to distract the man from worrying about Bobby.

            "Oh sure. I remember. You were asking about Diego's cab."

            "Is that his name? Diego? Well, would it be possible to speak with him?" Then she flashed him a bright smile which served its purpose when the corners of his mouth lifted in reply. 

            "He just called in a little while ago. He should be here any minute. I'll send him out as soon as I see him."

            "That would be great, thanks."

            Lipstill nodded and went back through the door. Eames turned to say something to Goren but found that he was already looking at her. Worse, he was slightly amused.

            "What is it?"

            He gestured with one hand like he was trying to think of the answer.

            "Nothing."

            She merely rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and took a defensive stance until he caved.

            "You noticed that he was uncomfortable with me."

            She snorted.

            "If you're about to tell me that you were insulted I don't buy it. Having suspects be instantly intimidated has got to be old hat by now."

            He grinned.

            "I wasn't going to say that." At her look he amended his statement. "Ok I wasn't going to _only_ say that. I was going to compliment you on picking up on it so quickly and stepping in to prevent him from getting hostile or uncooperative."

            Her defensive posture relaxed and she smiled.

            "Well thanks, partner."

            The door through which Mr. Lipstill had departed once again opened to reveal a skinny middle-aged man who appeared to be nervous until he saw Detective Eames. Then his whole demeanor changed. He barely glanced in Goren's direction.

            "I heard someone was lookin' for me and I was hoping it was a beautiful woman. It looks like my prayers have been answered. What can I do for you?" He asked, giving Alex a none-too-subtle looking over. Her eyes widened but she decided to play along, up to a point.

            "Well hi. I'm Detective Eames. This is…" she rotated her body so she was facing Bobby, who interrupted her.

            "I'm her partner, Detective Goren. We'd like to ask you about one of the passengers you transported tonight."

            "Diego Montalban, at your service." He bowed and took Alex's hand and kissed it, choosing to ignore Bobby completely. He was a real piece of work.

            "Mr. Montalban…" Alex began.

            "Oh please, call me Diego."

            "Ok. Diego, then. What we need…"

            "And what shall I call you?" he butted in to ask. Did he really think she was interested?

            Goren closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. He hated it when people totally ignored him but he knew Alex could handle this guy. Lord knows they had dealt with his kind and worse over the years. He barely refrained from sighing aloud when Alex leaned in a little closer to the guy and dropped her voice a notch.

            "Well you can call me forever grateful if you'd do me a huge favor and go get your trip log so we can see where you took one of your rides tonight."

            Diego winked.

            "I could do that for you, sure. But what'll I get in return?"

            She pretended to think for a moment, and then leaned even closer to whisper near his ear.

            "Would my number work for you?"

            His eyes widened and he smiled what Alex was sure he thought was a brilliant smile. To her it came off as lecherous and slimy.

            "You bet. I'll be right back."

            He left, pausing to wave to Alex before he went back through the door. She barely restrained the urge to gag. As soon as the door shut she went to sit back down, happy to see that Bobby came and sat on her left side, thus blocking Diego's view of her once he decided to return. Goren finally released his pent-up sigh and rested his head against the wall, addressing Eames without looking at her.

            "How can you stand it when guys act that way?"           

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************


	7. Diego and the Digits

            She shrugged, a little surprised that he had been bothered enough to comment on it. But then again it had been a long day and dealing with this type of personality never sat well, even on good days. He could be feeling a little sensitive.

            "I don't know. I just try to get through it as quickly as possible. Plus…" she stopped and smiled, knowing he would be curious enough to ask her to continue. Sure enough, he turned his head toward her.

            "Plus what, Eames?" 

            "I know with you here guys aren't too likely to do much more than strut. They're practically harmless."

            He smiled a little at that. Then Diego came back in and ruined the mood. He was holding up a notebook and grinning triumphantly. Alex got back on her feet and Goren followed. She reluctantly stepped out from behind Bobby and stood a little in front of him, knowing Diego was unlikely to hand the book over to him instead of her.

            "Here it is," he announced unnecessarily as he handed the book over to Alex with a flourish.

            "Thanks, Diego," she said with a small smile. She handed the book to Bobby and he quickly found the information and asked her to hold the book while he got out his pen to copy it down. Once they were finished Alex handed the book back to Diego and the two detectives began to make their way to the door.

            "Hey wait a minute! Aren't you forgetting something?" Diego called out. When Alex turned around his face showed complete surprise.

            "What? Oh yes, right you are. Thank you very much for your cooperation, Mr. Montalban." She twisted back around but his voice stopped her.

            "What about your number?"

            "Sure thing. Got a pen?" Goren quirked his eyebrows at her as Diego searched but she just grinned at him. Finally Diego asked the young man within the glass booth for a writing utensil and came back jubilant with the pen poised over his hand, ready to write.

            "I'm ready," he stated. Alex nodded.

            "Ok then. It's 9-1-1."

           Diego faithfully wrote down the digits and looked at them for a moment before understanding dawned on his features. It was all Alex could do not to laugh out loud and she turned to see Bobby holding back a smile.

            "Hey! That's not funny. What's your real number?"

            "Well that's the thing, Diego. I haven't been completely honest with you. I'm not in a position to be giving out my number. You see, I…"

            "Oh I see, all right. You two are involved, aren't you?" he accused, looking back and forth between Goren and Eames.

            Alex just looked at Diego, unable to believe he had actually said that. Goren glanced over at Eames and decided to have a little fun.

            "You told him you'd give him your number? After all we've been through?"       

            He drew back like he was going to throw a punch and then dropped his arm and took two steps toward the door before abruptly pivoting and turning to face Alex and Diego. Alex was looking slightly aghast but also a little amused while Diego looked scared.

            "This is about earlier, isn't it? One little fight and you're what, ready to toss me aside, just like that? I don't believe this! Fine…" he turned to Diego, who had become increasingly more nervous with every word Bobby spoke until he fairly shook when Goren turned the full force of his stare on him. 

            Bobby proceeded to step closer to Diego with every word and finally backed him against the wall. 

            "If you want her, you can have her, but I'm going to keep my eye on you. And if you ever hurt her so help me…" And he pointed his finger into Diego's chest and stormed out of the building without a backwards glance. 

            Eames didn't buy his performance for a minute, embarrassing as it was. The door stayed open from the force of Bobby's push and she had the feeling he was standing right outside listening. She went to face Diego and almost laughed aloud when he took a step sideways at her approach.

            "I have to apologize for my er, um, partner. He didn't mean what he said."

            Diego took another step to the side and raised his hands in front of himself.

            "Hey, no, no problem. I was just kidding. He knows that, right?" She saw Diego look behind her and when his eyes widened she knew Bobby had come back in through the still-open doorway. She decided to get a little payback.

            "He tends to get a little jealous and possessive. I'm sure you know the type…can't live without me. Anyway, thanks for your help. Have a good night." And she turned to find herself face to face with Bobby who looked like he might be fighting amusement over hearing her last comment about him. She pretended to pout and crossed her arms.

            "Oh…I thought you'd left me?" she accused, giving him a mock glare. 

            He bent down so he was at eye level with her.

            "No, I couldn't do that. I'm sorry I exploded like that. I can't bear the thought of you with this guy," he nodded in Diego's general direction but maintained eye contact with Alex. "Can you forgive me, maybe give us another chance?"

            Her mouth twitched but she kept a straight face and shook her head.

            "Well, I don't know. Let's talk about it in the car."

            He offered her his arm and she placed her hand upon it and let him lead the way back to the car where she proceeded to poke him in the shoulder as soon as they were settled and on their way. She couldn't help but smile as she drove.

            "What was that for?" he asked.

            "You took the words right out of my mouth."

            He grinned and then shrugged.

            "I don't know. The opportunity presented itself and proved too tempting to resist."

            "I thought he'd give up after he got my 'number'," she said with a shake of her head.

            "Some guys never learn, especially us 'jealous and possessive' types."

            She refused to dignify that with a response, settling instead for changing the subject.

            "So are we going to drive by the address now, or would you rather look it up and see what we can find out about whoever lives there first?"

            "Well let's drive by now and see what we can find out about the area and then we'll look it up and discover what we can before we knock on any doors."

            As Alex settled into bed a little while later the phone rang. She shook her head and grinned as she picked up the handset.

            "Hello, Bobby. You miss me already? It's been what, 45 minutes since I dropped you off?"

            "Hey, Eames. I found out a little about our friend Jun-Thai's trip tonight. The place he got dropped off at is the home of one Lon Wheaton."

            "Should I know that name?"

            "Well…he is the Managing Curator of the Walter G. Lowman Gallery downtown."

            "Oh. So do we have any idea why Jun-Thai was there?"

            "Not really. Could be they're just friends. Hold on a second, I think this might be it."

            And then silence reigned. Alex was used to this and simply snuggled down further into the covers and closed her eyes, cradling the phone to her ear. She had just fallen asleep when Bobby started talking again.

            "Hmmm…so he's going to the benefit, huh? Well then we'll just have to go, too."

            "Hmmm…what? Benefit?"

            "I'm sure you've heard about it. It's the one that's being held next Friday."

            She managed to wake up enough to rack her brain for the relevant information. When she remembered what it was she bolted upright in her bed, wide awake. 

            "Wait a minute! Isn't it a thing where you have to wear a costume? Don't I get a say in this? Goren? Goren!"

            "Yes, Eames?"

            "We can't go to that."

            "Why not?"

            _Why not, indeed? Well it's best to go with the truth here, Alex decided._

            "For starters, it's been sold out for weeks. Also there's the fact that it's too close to the date to get a decent costume. Next we have to consider that Deakins may not approve of us working undercover at a party. And finally I don't want to go."

            "You don't want to go? Why not?"

            If he was in front of her she would have hit him for daring to sound as amused as he did.

            "Lots of reasons. There'll be tons of people there, making it difficult if not impossible to keep our guy in sight the whole time, especially if he's in costume. Plus, when you have that many people in a room crowd control is an issue and we don't know that someone there wouldn't recognize us and blow the whole case. Not to mention the fact that there's no way we can get a hold of tickets this late in the game."

            She knew she had made a similar point about the tickets already but she felt the need to impress upon him the futility of pursuing this. For a moment he said nothing and Alex felt hopeful that she had won him over.

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. I just own the plot. Thanks for asking.

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who is reading and reviewing this story. The comments I've gotten have been great! Thank yous are below:

**Zoiy**** Grockle—I'm happy to continue! I was pleased to see your review…thank you! **

**M-D—Well thanks so much…I appreciate the thought you put into the comments.**

**Chloe6—Well thank *you* for leaving me such a sweet review!**

**Autumngold—Aww, thanks! I appreciate your willingness to endure ff.net's questionable behavior just to leave me nice thoughts!!**


	8. Pitstops and Persuasion

            "Those are all good points, Alex. So I'll drive to work tomorrow. You want a lift?"

            A change in subject that abrupt usually meant that Bobby was going to be stubborn and it was best to just let it go unless she wanted to fight. She was confident enough in her reasoning that she decided not to press the issue.

            "You mean today?" she teased. "Sure. Call me right before you head out so I have enough time to get ready."

            "Ok. I'll see you in a little bit. Goodnight, Alex."

            "Try to get some sleep, Bobby. See you in a few hours."

            And she hung up the phone and fell asleep; only to be awakened by the phone's incessant ringing after what felt like a few minutes.

            "Hello?" her voice was groggy.

            "Good morning."

            "Oh hey, Bobby."

            "You going to be okay with me coming over now?"

            "What? Oh right. Yeah, I'll be fine. See you in a bit."

            She made her shower a cold one to help wake her up and she turned the hairdryer on full force to dry her hair as quickly as possible. She had just found her other shoe when she heard the apartment door buzz. She went to the intercom and pressed the button to let Bobby in. When he knocked she opened the door and took a step back to allow herself the necessary room to ease her foot into her shoe. She stood back up to see him leaning against the door jam, waiting patiently. He held a bag in one hand and a cup in the other.

            "I see you made a pit stop on the way over here," she said by way of greeting. "Did you suddenly decide you don't like my coffee?"

            He grinned.

            "No. I could tell by the tone of your voice that I woke you up when I called and I figured you might cut that part out of your morning routine to save time," he paused and stepped fully inside the apartment, taking a deep breath. "I see that it would appear that you did indeed plan on forgoing coffee until we got to the precinct. So my efforts were not in vain."

            He handed her the bag and the cup. She brought the cup to her nose and inhaled deeply and jerked her head up in surprise.

            "Is this what I think it is?" 

            And she pulled the lid off of the cup to reveal exactly what she suspected, a steaming cup of hot chocolate.

            "You're forgiven," she stated as she took a swallow and closed her eyes in satisfaction.

            "What for?"      

            "I have no idea. But whatever this peace offering is meant to soothe consider it a done deal."

            He grabbed her coat off the rack and held it for her while she juggled the bag and the cup. As they strapped into the seats in Bobby's car she set her cup of hot chocolate down and opened the bag on her lap, thrilled to discover a chocolate iced donut filled with chocolate crème, her absolute favorite kind. She took a bite and hummed with happiness. Bobby chuckled and shook his head. She twisted to face him.

            "So what favor do you need?" she asked without preamble.

            "Who said I need a favor?"

            "Right. You buy me hot chocolate and my favorite donut, the one that means you had to travel an extra ten minutes out of your way to get it for me, and I'm supposed to believe it was just no big deal."

            "Exactly."

            She twisted back in her seat and shrugged, totally suspicious but knowing that unless she figured it out beforehand she would have to wait until Bobby unveiled the reason behind the gesture. And since she didn't feel like thinking about the reason it looked like she was in for a wait.

            They pulled into the precinct and Alex put her now-empty cup into her now-empty bag and followed her partner into the building. As they sat at their desks going through the pile of messages each had in their inboxes Bobby reached over for the handset on his desk phone while casually addressing Alex.

            "Oh by the way I know a guy who owes me a favor. He sits on the Board of the Lowman Gallery."

            Her reaction was instantaneous.

            "Damn it, Bobby! I _knew_ you were up to something! I came _this_ close to believing that line about it being 'no big deal' but I know you better than that. The hot chocolate alone, maybe…but that _and a donut? I should have refused to answer the door."_

            He picked up the phone and dialed, ignoring Alex's indignant outburst. Once Bobby started speaking Alex reluctantly shut up, praying that he wouldn't be able to finagle a couple of tickets for them. His triumphant grin in her direction as he hung up told her all she needed to know.

            "Great. Now I suppose I have to find a costume."

            The day of the museum gala arrived and Alex couldn't believe that she and Bobby were actually going. She dreaded the thought of her costume. It was unlike anything she was even remotely used to wearing. At the time she had tried it on she had gotten a kick out of her reflection and had spontaneously agreed to rent it. Now she was sure it was going to be a nightmare for her. She had tried on the outfit again last night and had concluded that she looked stupid. She had put the entire matter out of her mind while she worked until Goren started talking to her about it a few hours before they needed to leave.

            "So are you excited about tonight?" he asked cheerfully.

            "So, so anxious," she bit back.

            "Aww come on, Eames. It'll be interesting, to say the least." 

            "Mmm. I'll reserve judgment, thank you very much."

            "Have you picked out a costume, yet?"

            "Yes."

            He waited a moment and then when it became clear that she was going to remain mute on the subject he grinned.

            "And what is your costume of choice, pray tell?"

            The absolute truth was out of the question. So she settled on a version of the truth.

            "I'm going as a kitten, if you must know."

            He shook his head and stood up, picking up his portfolio and walking over to the coat rack. He came back to his desk and replaced a file folder he had pulled out of his binder earlier. Then he turned and started to leave.

            "I'll meet you there," he told her as he made his way to the door, coat in hand.   She stood up without thinking and called out to him.

            "Wait a minute! Where are you going?"

            "I have to go pick up my costume."

            "That reminds me. You didn't tell me what you're dressing up as."

            He smiled that half-smile of his that meant he had a secret.         

            "It's a surprise." 

            "How will I find you?" she asked.

            He just smiled. "Don't worry, I'll find you."

            Waving him away she plunked back down in her seat and reached for the file folder in front of her. She continued to work for another couple of hours and then made the trip home to face the horror that was her costume. After she was all dressed and ready to go she concluded that Bobby was going to have too much fun at her expense. But it was too late to do anything about it and so she resolved to make the most of her night and set about trying to distract herself by wondering what Bobby would appear dressed as. He had appeared far too amused by this whole fiasco as it was, and she was sure that his outfit would put hers in the pale. She brightened as she considered that they were going to be observing Jun-Thai as closely as possible throughout the evening. There wouldn't be much of a chance for them to even talk to each other a great deal. If she was really lucky she would emerge from the event unscathed, and possibly with something to tease Bobby about later, depending on just how outrageous his costume was.

            She pulled up in front of the museum and got out, accepting the ticket from the valet with a nod. She couldn't help but notice that he had eyed her outfit a bit more than expected. She decided that she was being paranoid and went inside to look for her partner. After ten minutes she still didn't see him in the vestibule so she ventured inside the main area of the gallery where the party was already in full swing. Her eyes quickly swept the room and she didn't see anyone who looked like Bobby. Realizing she had left her mask dangling from one wrist she quickly pulled it over her head and affixed it over her eyes. She turned to the right slightly, thinking she had seen someone who could possibly pass for her partner. When she twisted back to the other side she was surprised to see a man standing next to her, apparently trying to get past her. She realized with no small amount of embarrassment that she was indeed standing in front of one of the doors.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Disclaimer: Me=Not Owning Characters.

Author's notes: Thanks for reading. Reviewer thanks are below.

**Thermy—Wow right back at you! Your review was so generous and meant so much to me, truly! Thank you! **

**Jei**** Hua Mae—I'm glad to help you…thanks for taking the time to review! **

**Autumngold—A review from you is always a pleasure to read…thanks! **

**Fallon3—Thank *you* a million! I appreciate your comments!**


	9. Saffron Surprises

            "Excuse me, I'm sorry," she said, taking a quick step to the side to allow him access to the door.

            "It's all right. Are you Detective Alexandra Eames, by any chance?" the man replied with a smile in his voice. Alex's head shot up...she would know that voice anywhere.

            "Oh my god," she breathed out, covering her mouth with her hand.

            "You like?" he asked, pivoting around so she could get the full effect.

            "Wow."

            It was hard to think of anything else to say, given the situation. For standing before her was one Detective Robert Goren dressed as just about the last thing she would have imagined…_Frankenstein. Of course it suited him perfectly, especially given his natural height. She gave him a quick once-over and saw that he had gone the whole nine yards, from the green makeup to the bolts on his neck._

            "You look pretty wow yourself. In fact," he paused as he took a moment to give her a very thorough head-to-toe inspection that left her blushing, "I'd have to say you look amazing."

            Oh boy. Her eyes widened and her lips parted. The way Bobby's eyes traveled over her body gave Alex goosebumps. Maybe some of that makeup had toxic chemicals that seeped into his brain, causing this episode of abnormal behavior.

            "Yeah, well, I have this thing for campy 60s tv shows based on comic books, what can I say?"

            "Mmm," was the non committal response she received. That and a hand held out to her, she noticed belatedly. A little wary she nonetheless reached her own hand out. His fingers encased hers and he lifted their arms up. 

            "Turn around so I can get the full effect," he said and she couldn't help but laugh as she did so. From an outsider's perspective it looked like they were executing a dance move.

            "You know when you said you were dressing up as a kitten I had no idea you meant _this kind of kitten," he teased as she finished her impromptu pirouette and he released her hand, "It would seem that I'm not the only one who's been keeping secrets."_

            "What can I say, Detective? I've got hidden depths," she bantered back, still feeling a little out of her element but deciding to just relax. This was Bobby, after all. Plus she couldn't deny that it felt good, correction, it felt _really good to have him look at her like that. Like he actually meant what he said._

            Of course he meant what he said; he was surprised he was capable of speech after seeing Alex in that outfit is all. She was wearing a Catwoman outfit and it looked like it had been sewn on. She definitely gave Julie Newmar a run for her money. He had been so caught up in the kick he was going to get over her reaction to him…and she hadn't left him disappointed. He had been watching the door and he saw her come in and recognized her easily since she didn't have her mask on at first. He had stealthily crept towards her, wanting to take her by surprise. For a moment she had been completely unaware of whom he was. Then her eyes had widened and she had been unable to utter anything but first "Oh my god" and then "wow." She had even covered up her mouth in a natural reflex to the shock. It was a better reaction than he had anticipated. When she gave him the once-over he had taken a moment to do the same, ready to tell her she looked nice. But then his mind had convinced him that he couldn't possibly have seen the image in front of him. And he realized that he had failed to prepare for _his reaction to _her_. So even as he repeated Alex's words back to her he had been giving her a slow and steady perusal that led him to a couple of startling conclusions._

            The first was that he needed to tell her how great she looked. But great wasn't the word. No…she was sexy as hell, simple as that. But he figured that wasn't the most gentlemanly thing to say so he settled on amazing. The next thing he had concluded was that he had to touch her. It was a weird compulsion but fortunately for him his brain concocted a plan to enable him to do just that as quickly as possible. 

            The feeling of her hand in his was a good thing. It felt natural. Then he got to appreciate the whole view of Alex's costume as she twirled and he had realized that he needed to stop touching her or else he was going to want to do a lot more than just hold her hand. Then he became conscious of the fact that he was acting a bit out of character and maybe making Alex feel uncomfortable. His brain had come up with a smart-ass comment to try and test the waters between them, see how much damage had been done. He was happy that she teased him back for that meant she wasn't too weirded out by the whole scene between them. That gave him hope. Hope for what, he wasn't too sure. He would dwell on that later.

            "So where's our guy?" she asked, trying to direct the conversation back to why they were there in the first place.

            "He hasn't arrived yet."

            "What should we do while we wait for him to make his grand entrance?"

            "Let's go and see what kind of food they're offering."

            She nodded and they silently crossed the floor, keeping an eye out for Jun-Thai or anyone else of interest. As they arrived at the hors d'oeuvre table they noted most of the offerings were pretty high class fare such as foi gras and caviar, with plenty of champagne to go around. They both declined any alcohol and quickly went through the line and then stood off to the side so they could watch the doors. They had both finished snacking when Jun-Thai made his entrance. He chose not to wear a mask so it was easy to spot him. He was dressed as a Chinese Emperor and his costume was beautiful. It was a saffron colored silk dressing coat with elaborate embroidery of dragons and various leaves and flowers intertwined throughout its design. It must have cost a fortune, Alex thought. 

            "His costume is magnificent," she said to Bobby.

            "It is stunning," he agreed.

            Jun-Thai's entrance caused a ripple of excitement to pass through the crowd. People didn't stop what they were doing necessarily; they just adjusted their positions so they could see him for a moment. Goren and Eames watched as he made his way around the room, pausing every few seconds to shake a hand, give someone a pat on the back or to kiss a proffered cheek. There seemed to be no shortage to the contacts he had present but they noticed that he seemed to be conducting a visual search of the room in between visits.

            Jun-Thai finally settled in at one of the tables that adorned the outskirts of the dance floor, where he was quickly joined by a bevy of guests, mostly female. One of the women who entered the ring of admirers carried a plate of food in one hand and a bottle of champagne in the other. She was allowed to sit next to Jun-Thai and feed him hors d' oeuvres while he regaled those present with some tale or another. Alex and Bobby had just decided to move closer when Jun-Thai stood up and walked away, beckoning to the woman who had been feeding him. They halted their progress momentarily until it became apparent that Jun-Thai was headed for the dance floor.

            "Well this may be a prime opportunity to get up close and personal with our boy," Goren whispered. Alex raised her eyebrows and tilted her head so she could look up at him.

            "I hope you're not suggesting that I cut in," she announced.

            "No, although the thought did cross my mind. But we don't want him to remember seeing you here so we're going to have to do the next best thing."

            "Let me guess: _you're_ going to cut in."

            He leaned down and she could see his teeth flash white. He shook his head while gesturing to the dance floor with a sweeping motion of his arm.

            "Would you care to dance?"

            She agreed readily and let Bobby lead them around the floor in a seemingly random pattern. She recognized it as a trajectory that would put them on the path to intersecting Jun-Thai and his dance partner.

            "We'll take turns watching him. We don't want him to sense that we're up to anything so we'll switch places fairly often, move around the floor as much as we can without losing him."

            "Like we would if we were actually dancing, you mean?" she spoke the words in a dry undertone.

            Another flash of teeth was all the indication that he had heard her. Otherwise they fell silent and soon Alex got into the rhythm of their movements. After the first few turns she knew when to look over at Jun-Thai and when to look away again, based on Bobby's positioning of their bodies. From what she could tell Jun-Thai didn't seem to be in a hurry to do anything else but dance, although she did catch him glancing at his watch more than once, a fact she mentioned to Bobby.

            "So we think he's probably waiting for someone to arrive, right?" she asked.

            He nodded.

            "It would seem so given that tidbit plus the fact he just scanned the room again," he replied, looking down at her. She felt his eyes on her and looked up, confused.

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Disclaimer: 1) Remove standard disclaimer from package 2) Blow off any dust 3) Remove paper and expose adhesive 4) Apply to story.

Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry about the delay in updating, I was on the other side of the country for awhile. Hope you enjoy! Thank you's are below:

**QuasiAngel—Thanks so much! I love hearing that people read and enjoy my stories! I'm sorry that it was sort of a weird place to end it, too. I'll work on that. *grin* **

**Fallon3—I hope I didn't disappoint you with Bobby's rxn to her costume. I'm thrilled that you're still enjoying this! **

**Autumngold—Thank you! I'm so happy that you like my story! What did you think of Giren's costume? **

**Robin—Thank you! I will!**

**Kiera**** Kingsley—Awww, you're just too sweet, you know that, right? Thanks for the review!****  **

**Thermy—Frantic chipmunk! Ha! That was one of my favorite lines! Too funny! I'm so glad that you've been taking the time to read and wirte about my fics, you're a peach!**


	10. Twinkle Toes and Touching: A Fred and Gi...

            "Why are you looking at me?"

            "He's looking around the room and I don't want him to catch me staring at him. Besides, I'm getting sick of looking at him. I'd rather look at you."

            She smiled up at him.

            "I'd rather look at me too. I'm beginning to think his friend is late."

            Bobby led them around until it was Alex's turn to watch again. They kept up the dancing for well over an hour. She was lamenting her choice of costume when she felt the boots start to pinch her toes. She was watching Jun-Thai and silently praying for the mystery guest to arrive when she saw him tense slightly and stare at a spot over to his right. She tried to see who it was but there were so many people it was difficult. She noted with some dismay that no one on that side of the room even appeared to be looking at Jun-Thai. Still, it was progress.

            "He's here," she declared.

            "Do we know who 'he' is?"

            "No. No one seems to be paying any attention to him at all from the spot he was looking at. I just hope it isn't a woman."

            "What makes you say that?"

            "Well if it is then they can be out on the dance floor and all he has to do is whisper in her ear. Anyone looking would just assume he's sweet-talking her."

            He nodded and would have said more but Jun-Thai chose that moment to leave the dance floor, whispering in his partner's ear as he led her back to the table. Bobby and Alex stayed out for a little while longer before moving off the floor. 

            "It's obvious that if he's going to say anything of import to a man that he's not going to do it out there, where he could be heard by anyone. He's going to look for a more private place and so should we."

            Alex simply nodded. Bobby looked around and took note of the most likely spot. Over at the far end of the dance floor there was a set of doors. Beyond the doors was a staircase leading up to another pair of restrooms and the remaining floors of the gallery. On either side of the staircase there were alcoves with smooth marble benches. Most of the gallery had been roped off so most people wouldn't go that way unless they were looking for privacy.

            "Are you ready to go?"

            "Yes."

            He was careful to keep a hold of Alex's hand as they walked to keep up the pretense. They strolled leisurely, making their way to the secluded area in back of the gallery. Once Bobby had shut the doors behind them he turned to address Alex.

            "Hopefully he's going to make his move soon."

            They looked out the door and across the expanse of the gallery to the table where Jun-Thai was resting, eating and drinking like before. It was another ten minutes before he moved, and when he did it was to go back onto the dance floor.

            "Well shoot," Alex said, "Do we go back out there or what?"

            "Let's give him a few minutes. If he doesn't move off the floor then we'll go back out. In the meantime it feels like one of my bolts is coming off. I'm going to go look at it," he told her.

            "Here, let me look," she responded, walking the short distance to the staircase behind them. She stepped up on one of the stairs and reached her arms up to pull him over to her, "I'd hate for you to miss out on any of the fun while you're gone."

            With a last glance out the door he ambled over to her. He reached out his left hand to grasp the handrail and Alex couldn't help but notice that if he performed a similar motion with his right hand she would be within the circle of his arms. With her on the step she was almost at eye level with him, a position she almost never found herself in. Their gazes locked for a moment before she blushed and broke the contact, using her hand to gently tilt his head so she could have better access to his neck. The lights were on but were just dim enough that she had to lean in pretty close to him to see what she was doing. She traced the outline of the bolt, feeling for any cracks or looseness. Finding none on that one she cupped his jaw on the opposite side and tipped his head the other way. She hesitated to look directly at him but when she did she was more than a little surprised to find that he wasn't looking at her at all. In fact, his eyes weren't even opened. 

            What was that about? She decided it was one of three things: he was upset with her for touching him, he was sleepy, or the most unbelievable option which of course was that he was enjoying what she was doing. She dismissed the second option since he wasn't swaying on his feet or anything like that so it was between he liked it or he hated it. But how to tell? She drew her finger across the outline of the other bolt and felt what could have been a crack. She realized that with her gloves on it was a little hard to distinguish. And that's what gave her the idea. So she removed her gloves and dropped them on the step next to her.

            The feel of Alex's bare hand on his neck made Bobby's eyes snap open but he didn't say anything. She noticed, however, and reassured him.

            "I thought I felt a crack over here but with my gloves on it was hard to tell. I hope you don't mind?"

            He cleared his throat, which made Alex want to smile.

            "No, I don't mind."

            She nodded and stroked the area where she thought the crack had been. There it was, just a hairline. Barely noticeable and could be easily fixed. She was almost convinced that he did enjoy her ministrations but decided another test was in order so she cupped the opposite jaw in her hand and looked at him.

            "Would you mind if I examined the other side again? Maybe I missed something."

            "Go ahead," he told her and then allowed her to lean his head in the opposite direction.

            She moved her hand down from his jaw to the bolt but instead of lifting her hand up and repositioning it she trailed her fingers down his neck. She heard his hand clench the railing a bit tighter and had to fight the urge to smile as wide as she wanted. So he _did _like that.

            "Well there is a small crack on the other side. Nothing that can't be fixed in a jiffy," she uttered in a soft voice as she met his gaze.

            As Bobby focused on her face he realized that there was a gleam of triumph that she was trying really hard to disguise from him. And then he knew that she had been teasing him with that last stroke, to see if he was affected by her touch. He decided that two could play at that game and began to plan his revenge. He was about to call her on it when he noticed that she was looking over his shoulder and frowning slightly. He leaned in closer to her.

            "What is it?" he whispered.

            "Jun-Thai's headed our way. He's outside the door. He's looking at me, well my outfit, more precisely. He creeps me out."

            Perfect. He would get Alex back and maybe learn a bit more about Jun-Thai in the process.

            "Okay. Alex, I want you to listen to me. I want you to keep watching him, see if anyone approaches him. I'm going to make it seem like we're too busy to care what he's doing, all right?"

            She was already doing just that and so her full attention wasn't on what Bobby was saying. But she answered anyway.

            "Sure. But how are you going to do that?"

            "Do you trust me, Alex?"

            It took a moment for the words to penetrate her brain but when they did she rolled her eyes.

            "Of course I do, Bobby."

            "Then just put your left hand on my shoulder and I'll do the rest."

            She obliged and positioned her hand on his shoulder so she could block Jun-Thai's line of sight if needed.

            "I think your mask is coming undone," he whispered, "I'll see, okay?"

            She nodded absently, her attention back on Jun-Thai who seemed to be waiting for someone at the edge of the dance floor. Was it his dance partner? Was it the mystery guest he had been waiting for? But her attention snapped back to Bobby when she felt his fingers thread themselves through her hair. She stiffened in response and the fingers on his shoulder twitched momentarily but she got herself under control rapidly. Goren almost grinned at the obvious reaction. He didn't remove his fingers. Instead he moved them to the nape of her neck and started massaging in deep, slow circles.

            "You're awful tense, Alex. Just relax and keep a watch on our guy," his voice soothed. He moved one hand to cup her jaw much like she had done with him earlier but instead of stopping he allowed his thumb to trace her jaw line, making sure he dipped down to feel her pulse for a moment. He was deeply satisfied when he felt it beating fast and erratic. She was just as affected as he was and no better at hiding it. 

            Time to up the stakes.

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Author's note: *insert evil cackle*………

Disclaimer: I never claimed to be non-evil. I do however, choose to disclaim any ownership of anything besides the plot.


	11. Upping the Stakes

            He shifted his hand so it left her jaw and instead rested on her hip. The other hand that had been massaging her neck now pushed her hair back from her ear so he could lean in and whisper directly into it.

            "What is he doing now?" Bobby asked, smiling when the hand on his shoulder clenched the material of his costume for a long moment. 

            The sound of that husky whisper in her ear almost made her jump out of her skin. He expected her to be able to keep a serious eye on this guy while he was doing things like _that_? It took Alex a minute but she was finally able to choke out a response.

            "He's at the edge of the dance floor. Looks like he's waiting for someone to join him," she paused and all she could do was feel Bobby's breath on her neck and the weight of his hands on her. "There's the woman he's been dancing with. I think he's trying to make a move on her," another pause followed. "Oh crap."

            "What's the matter?" Bobby asked, and Alex had to fight the urge to react to his whisper by leaning into him. His mouth was only a few centimeters from her skin and it was absolute torture.

            "It looks like…wait…yes. He's trying to convince her to come back here where we are. Seems she doesn't want an audience."

            "Well we'll just have to convince her that we're far too interested in what we're doing to pay attention to her."

            And before she knew what was happening Bobby had placed his lips on the skin of her neck, just below her ear. Her reaction was immediate. She gasped, wrapped her arm around his neck, grabbed the railing with her free hand, and arched into him, all simultaneously. The hand on her hip became an arm snaked around her waist.

            "That's perfect, Alex," the words were spoken against her skin and she noticed dimly that his voice was a little hoarser than normal. "Does it seem to be working for them?"

            Who cared if it was working for _them_? It was definitely working for her. But they were there for the case. 

            The case first, death to Goren for doing this to her later. 

            She watched Jun-Thai as a distraction. He had been able to convince the woman to come inside and go over to one of the alcoves. Alex's voice emerged from her throat tremendously breathy.       "Hmmm. He's definitely convinced. She, on the other hand, keeps looking over here to see if I'm watching her."       

            "She has to dismiss us from her mind entirely."

            Bobby was slowly starting to realize that this was not one of his better laid plans. The longer he stood there holding Alex in his arms the less he cared about the case. He wanted to simply stand there and cause more reactions like the one she had when his lips had touched her neck. He had acted like she was pretending with her reaction to help both of them remember why they were there. But she was so tempting it was getting hard to resist doing more. And when he realized that Jun-Thai's woman didn't buy into their performance he decided to just ask Alex outright to pretend a reaction for fear of what he might do to elicit a response.

            "Alex, she needs to believe that you are totally into us and what we're doing over here. I need you to pretend, okay?"

            Why pretend when the truth was that she was almost totally into it for real? It was the knowledge that Jun-Thai and his woman were there that was keeping her from doing something really stupid like kissing Bobby and damning the consequences to hell. But she didn't know how to make her reaction any more real without causing her further humiliation. Now _his_ reactions, on the other hand, were something she could work on. They weren't up to par by a long shot.

            "I'll try," she said, moving the hand that was holding onto the handrail to the inside of Bobby's jacket, where she placed it on his chest. She lightly scratched the material and the skin underneath while her other hand went to play with his ear, tracing its outline and the sensitive skin just below it.

            He groaned aloud and pulled Alex closer, his mouth still on her neck. Well if they didn't believe the performance now they never would, Alex thought. And as she looked over she noticed with some relief that the woman had her eyes closed and was involved in some serious lip-locking. Now all she had to do was tell Bobby. And she would, in a minute. But first she wanted to feel some of those delicious shivers again and so she tilted her head slightly, exposing more of her neck. It was then that she noticed a man making his way over to the other couple. She pressed herself closer to Bobby and whispered into his ear.

            "There's a man going over to Jun-Thai and his woman." She made her eyelids droop so it would be hard to tell if her eyes were open or not. This time it was _her voice that caused the shivers for __him. "Jun-Thai seems pissed. They're walking a little closer to us."_

            They both tried to slow their breathing so they could hear what was said. It sounded like the words _pier_ and _ten but it was hard to make out anything else. Suddenly Jun-Thai and the mystery man both turned toward Goren and Eames and she shut her eyes, hoping they were still buying the couple routine. Bobby felt her stiffen and knew from the lack of voices what it was. So he decided to make another move on Alex and hoped she wouldn't kill him._

            "Hold on, Alex," he whispered and then he grazed her neck with his teeth.

            "Oh god!" she cried out, tipping her head back slightly when he made contact. One hand had the front of his shirt in a death grip and the other had the collar of his suit coat entangled in it. She was mortified, somewhere way deep down. And she would have slapped him or done something to make him stop if she really wanted to. But that was the problem.

            Bobby was torn between wanting Alex to kill him and wanting her to stay put. The way she responded to him filled him with a sensation he hadn't felt in far too long, and he had never felt it to this extent. It was more than simple desire. And it was addictive. It was one of the most powerful feelings he had ever experienced. He couldn't believe that things had gotten out of hand so quickly, and it boggled his mind that they hadn't even kissed…yet. 

            Once that thought entered his brain he couldn't release it, no matter how inappropriate it was. They hadn't even kissed and he was feeling _this wound up over her? How much more intense would it get if they did? The part of Bobby that was the scientist, that part of him that loved to analyze, dissect, and get to the bottom of things, decided that it shouldn't be _if_ they kissed, it should be _when_. And now worked for him. He could only hope that it worked for Alex._

            He brought his lips up to her ear, never leaving her skin, and she shivered in his arms.

            "Are they gone yet?" he whispered.

            She didn't trust her voice; it would simply give away too much, so she settled on slowly nodding her head.

            "Thank god," he growled, moving his head so he could look at her. He brought his hands up and over to frame her face and searched her eyes for a moment. He wasn't entirely sure what he was looking for—fear, disappointment, or a silent entreaty to stop? He found none of those, just a desire that matched his own. And in that moment he damned the consequences of what he was about to do and lowered his lips to hers.

            But his cell phone's shrill ring interrupted the moment before he touched her lips and they both sprang back as if dowsed by water. She dipped her head down and crossed her arms about her waist as if she were cold. He wanted to punch something and settled for stabbing the key on his phone.

            "Goren," he bit out, already wanting to kill whoever this was.

            "It's Deakins."

            Bobby barely restrained the urge to howl in frustration.

            "Yes, Captain?"

            Alex's head shot up at those words and she saw Bobby looking at her. He looked ready to kill someone, Deakins probably, and she almost grinned. Suddenly his whole demeanor changed and she knew it was serious.

            "We're on our way."

            He punched the phone off and turned to move, placing a hand on her elbow to gently guide her along with him.

            "What is it, Bobby?"

            "They found an id for one of our vics."

            That was certainly worth moving for, especially seeing as this case was the reason for all of the action of the night. They went outside and Alex gave her ticket to the valet. Once the car was in front of them they buckled themselves in and made for the station. She pushed her mask up off of her face as she drove. He broke the silence first.

            "I thought I heard the words 'pier' and 'ten,' what about you?"

            Like she was really thinking about anything other than what happened between them? Right. But if he could go back to normal so could she.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimer applies, unless you're in a country using the metric system. Then get out the old abacus and make the proper conversions before usage occurs.

Author's Notes: Reviewer shout-outs are below…you guys rock:

**Zoiy**** Grockle—Sorry this isn't soon, at all! Hope it's worth the wait! **

**Thermy****—Well you can thank my sister. She's the one who kept calling me and everyone else a peach for a while there and it just rubbed off on me. And I'm glad you got to work in the CI quote—I'm even happier that I got it! I kind of gave Alex's costume away a bit but I think I have managed to surprise everyone with Bobby's choice, including you so that made me happy. You crack me up, you know that? I'm not sure if they can kick people off for being creepy or not but it's a non-issue with you, I assure you. Tell you what: when I get the whole thing posted if you decide that you want to read more about someone's POV than what's posted you let me know and I'll do my best to accommodate you. I'm so tickled by your review, honestly. You're so generous with your praise and I hope I can keep you interested in the story. **

**QuasiAngel—Sorry about the whole hanging thing…I tend to do that a bit on the frequent side, don't I? Thank you so much for your kind words. They mean a lot to me.**

**MsVinD****—Because I am evil, that's why. I thought I had cleared that up. I'm glad you're still reading! **

**Kiera**** Kingsley—Aww thanks Kiwi! You're the best!**

**Autumngold****—No, that makes you normal, not evil. Sorry I didn't have Jun-Thai trip into a bowl of guacamole and leave Bobby and Alex alone but it just didn't work in the plot….yet. It may still. Thanks for checking in and for the nice things you had to say, they were appreciated. **

**WwMadz1087—I'm so glad that you can get visuals from my descriptions; it means a lot to me. Sorry I didn't update as soon as I should have. **

**Fallon3 –LOL…you're flapping on someone's boat like a dying fish? Crack me up! That is just too funny! Thank you so much for making me laugh—I enjoy your sense of humor. Thank you so much for your lavish praise….I hope I can keep you reading.**


	12. The Aftermath

            "Me too. We'll take another stab at Jun-Thai's file; see if he owns a pier ten. Or if he doesn't see which ones he does have access to and see if we can get there before ten. And I'll check in with the sketch artist; see if I can get a composite on the guy I saw with Jun-Thai. If we're lucky maybe he's in the system."

            Bobby wanted to ask her how she had managed to focus on getting a description of the guy but decided that to ask such a question would be going to a place he wasn't ready for. She didn't say anything about the incident either so he figured she was feeling some of the same emotions he was. 

            So after driving in silence for a while they both came up with the same plan. They pretended that they had been acting the whole time, although neither one of them believed it for a minute.

            Alex decided that she was going to have to say something to Bobby about the episode before they got to the precinct. To not say anything would surely cause more awkward feelings to fester. She couldn't have any weirdness between them, well any _more_ weirdness. People were bound to notice if they suddenly started acting all fidgety around one another. Plus it wasn't good for their work relationship. They needed to be 100% comfortable with each other and left unresolved this issue would fester until it blew up and became a bigger deal than it already was. She knew it was up to her; as a rule guys were pretty bad at this sort of thing. So as she pulled into the parking lot and shut off the engine she resolved to say something, but what?

_            When in doubt use humor, I always say,_ her inner voice piped up to coach her.

            They began walking towards the door when she coughed slightly to get Bobby's attention. He turned to her with a question in his eyes.

            "About what happened back there," she began.

            He couldn't believe she was going to bring it up. She had guts. He wasn't sure he was ready to talk about it; in fact he knew he wasn't. But he nodded at her anyway. Best to listen to what she had to say and play off of whatever that was. To his surprise she smiled at him.

            "You definitely didn't pull any punches, did you?"

            He looked down at the ground, feeling guilty.

            "But don't worry, I'm not mad." His head shot up.

            "You're not?" Not that he wanted her mad or anything; it was more of an automatic response. She shook her head.

            "No, I'm not. Big girls don't get mad, they get even."

            He grinned in relief. That sounded exactly like a comment Alex would usually make, assuring him that things were working themselves back to normal already. They had reached the door and he held it open for her but she paused before going through and looked up at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

            "Just remember one thing."

            "What's that?"

            She leaned in and placed a hand on his coat lapel, stroking the length of the fabric. She followed the movement with her eyes and looked up at Bobby with a smug smile. He had been watching her hand in fascination, unable to believe that she was flirting with him.

            "Revenge is a dish best served cold. You're going to get yours."

            He covered her hand with his own and squeezed it for a moment before leaning into her personal space and allowing his hand to drop back to his side. He gazed into her eyes for a moment and then whispered gently.

            "Promise?"       

            She laughed. He definitely kept her on her toes, that's for sure. Shaking her head she walked through the door and called for the elevator. She was still smiling when she noticed her reflection in the door.

            "Oh my god!"

            Startled, Bobby turned to face her.

            "What's the matter?"

            She pointed to their reflection.

            "Look! We're both still in costume. I can't go in there dressed like this…I'll never hear the end of it."

            "Do you have any extra clothes in your car?" he asked.

            She thought for a moment and then shook her head no. He shrugged out of his suit coat and held it up for her to put on. She couldn't believe her eyes. She knew he was wearing a simple black T-shirt underneath but she didn't realize that the makeup he was sporting on his hands went up the length of his arms. She wondered if had covered his entire torso in it and had to bite her tongue to keep from asking.

            "What about you?" she protested.

            "What about me?" he countered.

            "Aren't you worried what people will think of the makeup?"

            "No, not really. I'll just go into the bathroom and wash it off when I get a chance."

            She nodded and accepted his coat with gratitude. Thankfully it went past her hips so she didn't have to worry about people staring at her ass all night. She knew she looked pretty weird but it was the preferred alternative by far. As they got into the elevator she took off her mask and put it up her sleeve. She would deposit it in one of her desk drawers as soon as she got a chance.

            They rode up in silence and made their way over to their desks in much the same way. Alex was grateful that Bobby got more of the looks than she did. When she saw that Deakins was on the phone in his office she took the time to assemble all of the information she had on Jun-Thai into one place and then she called down to the sketch artist and set up an appointment for the next day.

            The Captain came out and did a double take at their appearance, slowing his pace as he walked over to their desks. He stood between the two so he could address them both.

            "What the…? Oh right. I forgot where you two were when I called."

            "So what do you have for us, Captain?" Alex asked.

            "Well it seems that one of the girls may be the goddaughter of some high ranking Chinese official. Her parents had received a letter from her about six months ago saying that she had just had her baby and was moving.  She said she'd write again once she got settled but warned them that it might take a few months to find a place. So they waited and then contacted this official who called in a favor and was told about the discovery of the bodies. We faxed over a photo to the Hong Kong PD and now the parents and this official are coming over to see if they can id the body. They'll be here by tomorrow night."

            "What's this girl's name?" Alex questioned. Deakins consulted the sheet in front of him, scanning the page until he came across it.

            "Here it is. Mai-lin Qialong."

            Bobby held out his hand for the paper and read it while Deakins kept talking to Alex.

            "So did you guys turn up anything useful tonight?"

_            Besides our body heat?_ Alex thought and looked over at Bobby who glanced up at her but quickly looked back down at the sheet and put his fist to his mouth as if he were in deep concentration. The captain might buy that but Alex knew it was a ploy.

            "Yeah, actually. Jun-Thai has a meeting with an unknown male tomorrow morning at ten on one of his piers. Or it's on pier ten, we're not quite sure. It was really hard to make out what they were saying."

            Out of the corner of her eye she saw Bobby's lips twitch when she used the words "make out" and she knew he was fighting amusement. She vowed to ignore him and kept talking.

            "So we're going to scan through the contents of his file and see what we can dig up. Hopefully we'll be tailing him first thing in the morning."

            "And there were no problems?"

            She shut her mental voice up before it got a chance to think anything.

            "No problems."            

            "Well I'm glad something came up on this case. It's about time."

            Now she was the one fighting amusement.

            "Same here Captain. I'm glad something _came up_ while we were there too."

            Bobby made a strange choking sound and proceeded to cough.

            "You okay?" the Captain asked. He waved his concerns away.

            "Sorry about that. Sounded like I had a hairball almost, didn't it? I forgot that I had this makeup on and I licked my finger to turn the page."

            Deakins nodded and went back to his office. When he was out of earshot Bobby looked up at her and grinned.

            "You're bad, you know that, right?"

            She feigned shock and innocence.

            "Who…_me_? I'm not the one who was having a hard time keeping a straight face when I said 'make out.'"

***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Disclaimer: In the criminal justice system, no one owns these characters. And yet these are *their* stories. Go figure.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for those of you who have been reading this, and have sent me encouragement in the past month. You are all appreciated! Thank you's are below:

**Solarn19—Nonsense! I think you're good at reviews….I enjoyed yours very much! Thank you for putting aside your doubts and writing me! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story. **

**Aria—Okay, okay, okay! No problem! **

**Thermy—Hey, no problem! Sorry I didn't have more waiting for you when you got back from your vacation. And your review? Too sweet! Really, it was so nice and wonderful and left me glowing for a nice long time. Hope you enjoy this chapter too. **

**Kahliaa—Well thanks! I'm so glad you're finding it worth your time! Hope this chapter satisfies as well! **

**MsVinD—Well if you're lucky maybe you can dream about Goren and it'll be one of those dreams that feels so real you can't tell the difference. I hope that helps! Thanks for reviewing! **

**Aria—Awww, well thank you! I really appreciate your feedback, especially given that you don't like unfinished fics. I have this weird thing about length of fics I read myself and I try not to break it so I understand where you're coming from. Thank you again!**

**A.Rowan—That was such a nice review to read! I'm glad you don't think I'm writing them too out of character, that means a lot! Thanks! **

**Zoiy**** Grockle—No you haven't and even if you did tell me I'd never get sick of hearing it! So thank you! Thank you! **

**Leena—I'm glad you like long fics because this one is shaping up to be a doozy! Thank you for your encouragement! **

**MagentaLee—I'm happy to oblige you. Just let me know which chapter names are confusing and I'll explain where I came up with them! Thanks for writing!   **

**Autumngold—I know I would pretty much pass out if I was in Alex's shoes, that's for darn sure! Thank *you* so much for reading and reviewing, never mind me updating! Your review made me smile, so thanks! **

**Meredith Paris—Hey Mere! *waves hi back* Sorry to hear that I'm evil, but it's too much fun for me to even think of considering another path. Your feedback especially is always welcome. Glad I've managed to hold your interest in the story this long!**

**QuasiAngel—No way! You never told me that but I certainly do appreciate it! *bear hugs back* Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! **

**Chloe6—My head is already too large, and your review is not helping! It was such a treat to see it in my inbox! Thank you for taking the time to send it to me! I appreciate it!**


	13. Madame Rolex

            He just shook his head, refusing to be baited. She looked back down at her desk and muttered in a low voice.

            "Hairball. Honest to god. Could you be any _less_ subtle, really?"

            He smiled and they both went about their jobs.

            Deakins came back out of the office a little while later.

            "If all you're doing is going through your files and looking stuff up on the Internet why don't you both go home and research from there? It's late enough as it is and you can't be too comfortable in those getups, particularly you, Goren. I'm itching just looking at all that make-up."

            Bobby shrugged and looked at Alex.

            "What do you think?"

            "Sounds okay by me. Let's go."

            So they packed their stuff and made their way back to the elevators.

            "Do you want me to drive you home?" she asked as they waited.

            "I'd appreciate that. Thanks."

            They got into the elevator and as the door closed she pushed the button for the garage and turned to him.

            "So I'll look into Jun-Thai's pier holdings and you'll learn what you can about our victim?" she asked. He nodded.

            "That's fine. How did you choose who got what?" he wanted to know as they made their way out of the building.

            "Simple. I don't read Chinese and I figure some of the stuff may be on a Chinese website. You get her because you're all poly-lingual and I'm not."

            It was a few hours later and Alex had finally discovered that Jun-Thai had no access or connection to anything called pier ten. He did have access to plenty of piers, though. But maybe it was the name of something else. So she had branched out her search and discovered that there was a restaurant in Jersey City by that name. She called Goren and gave him her update.

            "Well you're having better luck than I am."

            "I'm sorry to hear that. So what do you want to do?"

            "Let's plan on going to the restaurant tomorrow. We'll take turns sitting inside until he shows."

            "Ok. I call second shift."

            "Oh you do, huh? And why is that?"

            "Simple. You are the early bird while I am the worm who likes to sleep late."

            "Interesting analogy."

            "You like that one, don't you?"

            "I admit to nothing. I will plan on being in the restaurant at 8:00 am tomorrow, complete with a nice thick book to keep me occupied. If they come in I'll call you. Otherwise why don't you plan on meeting me there around noon?"

            "Sure thing. That gives me time to hopefully get the results of the composite I'm doing with Frank Russ tomorrow. If I don't hear from you I'll call before I leave so you can let me know if you need me to bring you anything."

            "All right. Then I'll talk to you tomorrow."

            "Or later today, depending on your perspective."

            The pause meant he was looking at the clock and she grinned.

            "I didn't realize it was so late. You're right."

            "Just call me Madame Rolex."

            "Ok then. Goodnight, Madame."

            "Night, Bobby."

            The next morning found Alex down in the basement of One Police Plaza talking with Russ, the sketch artist. 

            "A little narrower nose…yeah, like that. Umm, his hair was spiky in front but pretty short," she paused while she looked at the sketch and smiled at Russ. "Yeah, that's our guy."

            "I'll get right on this, Eames, but don't get your hopes up that I'll have an answer before lunch. We're backlogged here."

            "I gotcha. Thanks, Russ."

            "Later, Detective."

            After she concluded her session she made her way out to the car where she called Bobby as she headed out of the garage.

            "Hello?" he answered instead of his usual "Goren," which made Eames grin.

            "Hi, it's me."

            "Hi. How are you?"

            "Well aren't you just too sweet? I'm fine, thanks. How are you?" she relished the opportunity to play with him a little. He couldn't exactly call her on it without possibly drawing suspicion to himself.

            "I'm fine, thanks. Any news for me?"

            "I just left my meeting with the sketch artist and he said he'd get right on it but not to expect anything soon. I guess they have a lot of demands on their time."

            "All right."

            "What about you? Any sightings of alien craft or other unidentified foreign bodies to amuse you?" She heard him chuckle briefly and she smiled.

            "No, not so far. It's still early, though."

            "So what are you eating?"

            "Umm, let's see. Waffles, a couple of pieces of bacon, some fruit and coffee."

            Alex's stomach rumbled at the mention of food.

            "Man that sounds good."

            "So come join me and I'll buy you breakfast."

            She was stunned into silence for a moment.

            "I thought we decided that it was too big a risk that they'd recognize us from the gala if we were together? Or are you just saying that because the waitress has been flirting with you and you want to let her down easy?"

            "You're right, we did decide that and no, I don't think so."

            "What, you're not sure if she's been flirting with you? Or you're not sure you want to let her down easy?" she teased.

            "A little of both."

            She laughed out loud and imagined he was grinning at her reaction.

            "Well I'll make it up to you. I'll let you take me to lunch instead. I'll be good and hungry by then."

            "You're going to _let_ me take you to lunch?" he teased.

            "I sure am. Never let it be said that I'm not generous."

            "You're the personification of generosity, that's for sure."

            "Well I hate to leave you to your cold waffles and weak coffee but I'm going to tackle some paperwork before lunch. Call me later if you want."

            "That's cruel. By the way if you get through with your stack and feel like you need more to do you have my permission to start on my pile."

            "Why how nice of you to think of me! What would I do without you?" she cooed in a syrupy-sweet voice.

            "Hey you're the one who claims to be the soul of kindness and charity. I figured that would be right up your alley."

            "I'll see what I can work out. But it'll cost you."

            "Oh yeah? And what sort of payment did you have in mind?"

            She just laughed.

            "I'll leave it up to you. I trust you can find something to make it worth my while?"

            "Maybe."

            "I have every confidence in the world in you, Bobby."

            "Likewise."

            She was about to say something else when she noticed Deakins stepping out of his office.

            "Oh damn."

            "What?"

            "Deakins is on his way over. I have to get busy and give him an update."

            "Okay. I'll talk to you later, bye."

            "Bye."

**********************************************************************************************************************************************************

**Disclaimer: Sounds like a superhero…"I am The Disclaimer!" Anyhoo, I own the plot, not the characters. Thanks for caring.**

**Author's Note: Greetings and Salutations! I decided to welcome November by posting a new chapter. Thank-yous are below.**

**cookie24—Well my dear I fear that the ending is really far away. There are at least like seven or eight chapters to go, possibly a lot more. So at least the part about posting more chapters is going to be true, it just won't be all of them by the end of the month. Thanks for liking the story enough to want to read the ending!**

**Aria—Will it make you happy to know that I already have the ending written, it's just some of the parts in the middle that are causing me stress? I am so honored to have hooked you on your first unfinished fic. Sorry that chapter twelve was too short. I'll try to do better. Your review was such a welcome sight in my inbox and had me smiling from ear to ear. I'm glad that you felt that I kept B & E in character, it means a lot.**

**A.Rowan—You're sweet. It's not too often I get a reviewer telling me to take my time. I'll do my best to rush in a relaxed way, how's that? Thanks for taking the time to review.**

**MagentaLee—Saffron Surprises is so entitled because it combines two elements of that chapter. Saffron refers to the color of Jun-Thai's costume and Surprises is in reference to the fact that both Bobby and Alex were surprised by the other's choice of costume. What can I say; they can't all be winning chapter titles. Thanks for asking!**

**DoM05—Well THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for reviewing! I really appreciate your enthusiasm. I can promise you that this will be finished, but it's a long way from being done so it won't be soon and I apologize for that.**

**wingjade—Well I'm sorry to hear that I caused such a severe reaction! Hopefully I'll be updating more often and not putting your life in danger! I'm so pleased that you liked this chapter…thanks for reviewing!**

**Kahliaa—I really appreciated your review! I was especially happy to see that you enjoyed the humor…hopefully I can keep it up! Thanks again!**

**Autumngold—I'm delighted to read that you felt her response was perfect…you can't ask for better than that, and I couldn't ask for a nicer reviewer than you!**

**Chloe6—lol. I guess I'll have to adjust to life with a big head, huh? Hopefully it won't get so bad that I can no longer visit St. Louis. Thank you for a review that made me laugh and feel good!**

**Shellme—Thank you so much! Your review was the type I really relish receiving and reading, complete with a nice saying to wrap it all up! Thank you!**

**geena1029—Your review was such a treat to receive! Thank you very much for your lavish praise. I'm so glad you like the story, and I hope I can keep you interested!**

**Lisa—And I must say *you* rock! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
**Issi******—Well thanks! I'm pleased you're enjoying it!  
  
**Dirce**—I don't want to be responsible for crushing you, by any means! Thanks for reviewing!**

**Cyclone2—And I appreciate the hounding/encouraging, I really do. You're a gem…Just look at how fast I got it out after you wrote me! **


	14. Bambi and the Bow

            She hung up the phone and the Captain arrived at her desk a few seconds later.

            "So what's the good word?" he asked.

            "Well sir, Goren is at the Pier Ten Restaurant in Jersey City, waiting for Jun-Thai and our mystery guy to make an appearance. I just came back from a visit to Russ to see if he could help with the id for our anonymous man. I'm going to head out to Jersey City to relieve Goren at noon unless they show up beforehand. I thought I'd get some of this paperwork cleared off of our desks in the meantime."

            She realized that with that statement she had unwittingly committed to doing some of Bobby's paperwork for him. _Darn it all._

            "Sounds good. Keep me updated."

            She nodded and Deakins went to make the rounds at the other desks in the precinct. She sighed and reached for the file folder in front of her. When the phone rang an hour and a half later she had managed to finish all of her work and about a third of Bobby's pile.

            "Eames."

            "It's me."

            "Oh, hey."

            "They're here."

            She looked at her watch.

            "Do you want me to head out now?"

            "Yeah. See you in a bit."

            "Ok, call if you need me."

            "All right. Bye."

            "Bye."

            She crossed the floor to Deakins' office and knocked on the open door.

            "Come in," he turned around, "Yes, Eames?"

            "That was Goren, sir. Jun-Thai and his guest have just arrived. I'm heading out there now."

            "Ok. You two be careful."

            "We will, sir."

            She had been driving for about 25 minutes and was almost at the destination when the phone rang.

            "Eames."

            "It's me."

            "What happened?"

            "They came and left already. Well actually they're still here, sort of."

            "So they're gone from the restaurant but still on the premises?"

            "They're in the parking lot. I didn't hear if they were headed anyplace in particular. They seemed ill-inclined to talk until now, when there's no way for me to hear what they're saying without really drawing attention to myself. I'm just going to have to follow one of them."

            "Lucky me that I am not there to share in the fun. Well give me a minute and I'll see if I can get any information out of the waitress as soon as I get there."

            "I'll do it."

            "No offense but she's already likely to remember you. Besides I could use another chance to flex my acting chops."

            He grinned at that.

            "Ok. I'll follow the mystery guy. Once I see where he's going I'll sit there and write down what little I heard while I wait for you to check in."

            "What's the waitress's name I'm looking to talk to?"

            "Bambi."

            Her eyes widened.

            "Please tell me you're joking."

            He shook his head back and forth and chuckled.

            "It should be easy to tell her apart," he added with a grin she could hear, "She's the only one wearing a big red bow in her hair."

            Alex hung up the phone and drove the rest of the way to the restaurant in silence. She sighed and opened the car door, jogging up to the entrance. She noted the peeling red paint on the surprisingly heavy door as she opened it and went in, looking around the place like she was looking for someone which of course she was. Finally she acted like she had just spotted Bambi and made her way over to her.

            "Hi. Could you help me? I was supposed to meet someone here and I am _so late. I wonder if you saw him. About this tall, Asian, probably looked ready to kill someone?"            _

            "Oh yeah. Man, he was pissed."

            "Oh damn. Did anyone join him?"

            "Yeah…this other Asian guy."

            "Oh good. Well at least he didn't get totally stood up. Did you happen to hear where he was going?"

            She gave Alex a suspicious look. Her body language suggested maybe she was venturing into uncomfortable territory.           

            "Yeah I know—what kind of question is that? But if he went home then I know he's okay. On the other hand if he went into work then he's really pissed and I should just avoid him all day. So did you hear them say where they were going?" And she gave the waitress what she prayed was her most hopeful expression, wringing her hands together as if she were nervous.

            "Well I don't know what it means but I heard them say they were going to see each other at the party. Does that help?"

            Alex reached out to grab the woman's arm for a moment as if she were profoundly grateful.

            "Yes. It's great news. It means he's not mad at all. Wonderful! Thanks so much! Hey, while I'm here could I get a cup of coffee to go?"

            The girl smiled and nodded and when she came back Alex gave her an extra large tip.

            "Oh yeah. I'm going to pretend that I never made it here so if you could pretend you never saw me the next time I'm in here?" She shrugged. "I figure it's better than letting him know I missed him. Guys can be so touchy about stuff like that, you know?"

            The waitress smiled a co-conspirator's smile and winked at Alex.

            "Sure thing."

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Disclaimer: I'm changing time zones soon and I hope that with that change comes a reversal of fortune that may in fact lead to my ownership of the characters. So while I cross my fingers and pray I will simply say plot=mine, characters=theirs.

Author's Note: Could you guys be any greater? I submit that you cannot! Your support and encouragement means so much to me, really. Thank you. Individual thank you's are below:

  
**Chloe6**—"the ultimate cheery-me-upper fic"? I like it! Thanks so much for reviewing, and for doing it so soon after I had posted! That was such a pleasant surprise!

**Kahliaa—Aww shucks. I'm just glad you like it. And I'm so happy you think it's funny. Knowing I'm not laughing alone is a wonderful thing.  
  
**

**Kajee—Thank you thank you! I'm delighted that you are enjoying it!  
  
**Desanera**—Wow right back at you! Such lavish praise! Thank you so very much! I am humbled.**

**Dirce****—LOL…chapter 11 fogged up your windows? Too funny…but sometimes those weather patterns can be downright unpredictable, not to mention uncooperative. This is sort of a filler chapter so it's low on the suggestive content, sorry. I'll get back to it soon! Thanks for hitting the old review button.**

**MagentaLee—I'm glad that all is right with the world again. Whatever I can do to help I will. Thanks for asking the question, and for reviewing. **

  
**cookie24**—Thanks, cookie! Your review was so nice to read, and I look forward to helping make your year.

   
**BlueAngel8341**—It's been a hoot? That is *so* a word I use and I cracked up when I saw it in your review. Thank you for using your rainy day to make one of mine brighter and much happier!  
  


**Cyclone2—Um no. No resolution for a while. Sorry to disappoint but it's just a feint. Thanks for your review and gentle encouragement.  
  
**geena1029—**You seriously check back that often? Wow. I'm so impressed with your dedication. I hope that the one time you checked and saw this that it wasn't too disappointing for you. Thanks so much for reviewing.**

**Quicksilvermad—Well gee thanks! I'm impressed with your use of "unfurls". I love it when people break out their vocabs! Thank you for reading and reviewing!**

**The Confused One—Why thank you! I love getting reviews like yours, they make me smile for hours. Thanks for reading and reviewing!   
  
**


	15. Makeup in Manhattan

            She walked back out to the car and got inside, buckling herself in and starting the engine before putting the coffee in the cup holder. She laid her phone down on the front seat for a moment and then dialed as she was about to put the car into drive.

            "Goren."

            "It's me."

            "So where are you headed?"

            She resisted the urge to look over at him like she would if he were in the car.

            "Well our friend Bambi was pretty helpful. She said she overheard our guys say that they were going to meet up at the party."

            "Party, hmm? I wonder who's having the party?"

            "My money's on Jun-Thai. But we can keep tabs on both of them and see who goes where. I'll head over to Jun-Thai's office and see if I can find out any information about this party."

            "Ok. I'm still following John Doe here. We're headed back into the city."

            "I'll call you as soon as I turn up anything."

            "Sounds good. Bye."

            "Bye."  

            Alex drove back into the city and made her way to Jun-Thai's headquarters which were situated in the middle of downtown Manhattan. After giving up on finding a nearby parking space she settled on a parking garage a few blocks away. It was just cold enough that she needed to tie up the belt on her leather coat and hasten her stride a bit more than she normally would.

            When she got to the building she walked right over to the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor. They knew Jun-Thai had a penchant for penthouses and spectacular views in his personal life and his professional one was no different. When the elevator reached the top Alex wasted no time and went straight to the bathroom. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a small compact and a tube of lipstick and set them down on the counter. Brushing a few stray wisps of hair out of her face she set about putting on the make up. Once she was finished she stood in front of the mirror until a couple of women came in. Upon seeing the door start to open Alex picked up the lipstick in one hand. She smiled at the women as they came in and reapplied her lipstick as one of them moved to stand next to her and fix her own makeup.

            "It sucks being here on a Saturday, huh?" Alex commented. The woman nodded at Alex and she continued.

            "So how's business today?" she asked as she opened the compact and dusted her nose with another fine coating of powder.

            "Busy as always," the woman replied and smiled at Alex in the mirror.

            "I hear you. I am looking forward to hitting that party tonight and actually enjoying a few hours of my weekend."

            The other woman exited the stall and came over to wash her hands.

            "What party?" she asked. Alex looked over at the first woman who thankfully responded to the question.

            "Oh Sheila, remember the big party tonight down on 36? I told you about it last week I'm sure of it."

            "Right, right. I remember."

            "Well I hope you gals have a great day and maybe I'll see you tonight," Alex said as she gathered her things and made her way to the door.

            "Bye," the women chorused together.

            She walked back to the elevator and swiftly exited the building and walked even quicker back to her car. Once inside she cranked up the heat and called into work, to see if Russ had managed to find anything. Once she received his negative response she called Bobby.

            "Goren."

            "Nice to meet you, I'm Eames."

            "Cute. So how's it going?"

            "Okay. I have a couple of updates and I'll give you the bad news first. No luck turning anything up on our mystery guy I'm afraid. Russ said it might take a while, especially if the priors he has are old ones. And that's assuming he has any at all."

            "So what's the good news?"

            "Good news is there's a party tonight in the ballroom on the 36th floor of Jun-Thai's office building."

            "That was fast work, Alex."

            "Well I _am _a professional. So what's new on your end?"

            "Well our mystery man has just been running simple errands so far. He may be waiting for his next move at this party."

            "I'll sit on the sketch; see if I can't get an ID."

            "Ok. If we don't get any breaking news within the next hour, hour and a half, what do you say we stop for lunch?"

            "I say I'm already hungry so that's a good plan by me."

            "All right. I'll call you unless you hear from Russ."

            "Ok. Talk to you soon, bye."

            "Bye."

            Another hour passed and there was still no word from Russ so Alex arranged to meet Bobby for lunch at an Italian restaurant situated between their two locations. When she pulled up she was not at all surprised to see that Bobby had made it there before her and had already gotten them a table. He stood up when she entered the restaurant and held her chair for her and signaled for the waiter before resuming his seat. He noticed that she seemed oblivious to the appreciative glances she received from some of the male patrons.

            "Hi there," she greeted him after the waiter had taken their drink orders.

            "Long time no see," he teased.

            "It feels like forever I know," she taunted back.

            "So how did you get the information on the party so quickly?" he asked.

            She briefly recounted her tale and couldn't help the smile that formed when she noticed Goren's impressed gaze. She would have said something but the waiter came back with their drinks so she settled for shaking her head and consulting her menu.

            "So what do you think you're going to order?" he asked her a short time later when she raised her eyes from the menu.

            "Chicken tetrazzini for me. What about you?"

            "That sounds good. I think I'm going to have stromboli."

            "Mmm. I debated having that but I have a taste for pasta."

            "Well we can always switch halfway through."

            Which is exactly what they ended up doing. Alex knew that anyone who witnessed this particular ritual always assumed that she and Bobby were a couple but didn't let it bother her. It's not as if he were feeding her off of his fork or anything ultra couple-like in behavior. They just had similar tastes in food and this way it felt like they got two dishes out of the meal.

            As she stood up to leave Alex noticed a man checking her out. His eyes were nowhere near her face so he missed the scowl that darkened her features at his overt display. She twisted to the side and pulled her suit coat back for a moment so her gun was plainly visible, resting her hand on it for a second for good measure. She slowly rotated back to face him and was pleased to note that he appeared to have gotten the message. When Bobby returned from paying the bill he noticed the direction of Alex's gaze and her self-satisfied smirk.

            "What did you do?" he asked without preamble. She lifted her eyes to meet his and tried to look innocent.

            "Who? Me? Nothing." Bobby bent down and tilted his head to the side so he could assess Alex's features. After barely a second he shook his head and turned away with a slight smirk. Alex grinned and gave him a playful shove in the shoulder to get him moving out the door.

            "That was fantastic, Bobby. Thank you."

            "Thank _you_ for letting me take you to lunch."

            "It _is_ a rare privilege reserved for the truly special people in the world."

            He clasped his hands to his heart and bowed to her.

            "Well then I consider myself humbled that I have managed to make it onto what is undoubtedly a short list."

            "This groveling thing you're doing?" she gestured between them as she spoke. "I like it."

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************

Disclaimer: With the New Year comes a new disclaimer: Should old acquaintance be forgot I am indeed the author of this piece and of its plot. Yet sadly I cannot claim ownership of the characters within.

Author's Note: Well I can hardly believe that so much time has passed since my last update and yet there is the calendar mocking me about it. So Happy New Year everyone, and I hope you enjoy this installment. I'm moving in the next two weeks so I do not anticipate another update before then but who knows? My New Year's resolution is to try and not go more than a month between updates *fingers crossed*. Thank you's are below and are as heartfelt as can be imagined.

**inner-storm**—No, I have not stopped writing. Thank you for the encouragement!

**Kira6**—I'm always glad to read a review like yours! Thank you! 

**Chloe6**—While I will not say that my work is to be compared to a piece of such historical significance as the Bill of Rights I *will* say that your reviews are at least that significant to me, if not more so! 

**cookie24**—And every review from you puts a (giant) smile on my face so thank you for that!

**crazy-dreams**—Sorry about the lack of action. I almost hate posting parts like this but if I am to move the plot along at all I must. My first response to your review was a big grin too so thanks!

**RivErStaR**—Man your review was the nicest holiday gift I could have asked for…thanks! I appreciate the time you put into it and the fact that you care enough to do so makes my day. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

**BlueAngel8341**—Happy Happy Day for me, too! Seeing your review left me grinning, thanks!

**Kahliaa**—Thank you for not leaving me alone in the laughter. Eames is such fun to write and I'm so glad you enjoy her one-liners. Thanks for your support and encouragement!


	16. Comic Crushes

Disclaimer: I have as much chance of ownership as the world does of spinning on a new axis.

Spoilers: All eppys, just to be safe.

"I aim to please," he deadpanned as he led the way down the sidewalk.

"So how do you want to handle the party tonight?" Alex asked.

"Well it's probably best if we arrange to meet there, see if we can chat up some of the guests and then talk about our discoveries afterwards. What do you think?"

She nodded, concealing her disappointment that they wouldn't get to go together.

"That makes the most sense."

But he seemed to sense her lack of enthusiasm.

"What is it, Alex?"

"What's what?" she responded, careful to keep her tone neutral.

"I don't know; you seem sort of anxious about this party. Are you all right with going?"

"Um, sure. I mean, why wouldn't I be?"

He leaned toward her, dipping his head in that way he sometimes did with criminals.

"Maybe you're wishing you could go with me, knowing full well how bored and lonely you'll be without me there beside you."

That was so dead on that Eames did the only thing she could think of at the moment. She stopped in her tracks and burst into laughter.

"Uh, sure. You just keep telling yourself that, buddy."

It turned out that she was the one to fall victim to replaying Bobby's teasing remark over and over in her head. And it disturbed her. Was she at a point that the thought of going somewhere without him really bothered her this much? And if she was, when did she arrive at such a sad state of affairs? It didn't bode well for the future. The future of what, she wasn't too keen on exploring. So as she contemplated her choice of attire for the evening she resolved to just deal with the party as she would any other investigation. The key was professionalism.

"Professionalism, Eames. Professionalism. You can do it," she muttered to herself over and over as she rode the elevator up to the party. She rocked back and forth on her heels and after catching herself doing that began swaying side to side, all in a vain effort to calm her nerves.

It was all for naught. The minute Alex walked in the door and spotted Bobby all thoughts of professionalism flew out of her head. She wondered if he somehow had in fact mastered the art of mind reading and delighted in doing whatever he could to derail her plans. He usually looked good; she mused as she stood just inside the doorway and watched him mingle with the guests. But tonight there was something about him. Aside from the obvious there was the lure of the unattainable, she decided as she catalogued his appearance. Knowing she was supposed to be pretending she didn't know him was a hard pill to swallow. He was wearing well-polished black loafers, black chino pants pressed so crisp they looked brand new; a cream turtleneck underneath a charcoal blazer and his face was without its customary stubble.

But what had made her breath catch when she first laid eyes on him was his choice of accessory for the evening…glasses. How did he know she had a weak spot for men in glasses? Give her Clark Kent or Peter Parker any day, she thought with a sigh as she stared at him. The combination of recalling her comic book crushes and Bobby's appearance caused her to start contemplating what she'd really like to be doing, given half the chance. Because she was on the other side of the room from him she felt as though she was far enough away from his mental probing that she could indulge herself without him realizing it. 

Unbeknownst to Alex, Bobby had been aware of her presence the minute she stepped through the door. It bothered him slightly that his radar was so attuned to her presence that he had literally sensed that she was there before turning around to glance at her out of the corner of his eye. He took a slow, deep breath when he felt her eyes on him. Why had he told her they should stay away from each other tonight? Had he honestly believed he was going to be able to concentrate fully on anyone else but Alex? As he mingled he noticed more than one man's eyes being drawn to her and he cursed himself for his stupidity. Now he was not only stuck with trying to extract as much information about Jun-Thai from all these people as possible, he was also going to be dealing with keeping this sudden, irrational flame of jealousy that had settled upon him in check.

Alex made her way through the crowd and only paused for a second when she felt Bobby's eyes on her. She covered it by checking her purse strap but she felt extremely disconcerted, like she was suddenly naked in the room full of strangers. Make that quasi-strangers, she clarified to herself when she saw Shelia and what's-her-name over by the buffet table. Shelia caught her eye and waved Alex over.

"Great party, huh?" she commented as Alex arrived.

Alex let her eyes travel around the room, distinctly ignoring Bobby, before responding.

"It looks pretty good. So tell me, who are the men worth knowing?" She knew girl talk was the number one way to distract most women, herself not included (unless the subject is Bobby, her conscience teased). Instantly the two women crowded closer to Alex in a conspiratory huddle.

"Well, there's always Doug from the Jenkins office on 29," Shelia began.

"But if you go for him just remember two things," the woman whose name Alex still didn't know began. She stopped and looked over at Shelia and the two women began laughing.

"And what would those be?"

The two women looked around to make sure that no one was paying attention to them. Eames followed suit and accidentally caught Bobby's eye. Only her years of training protected her from doing something really stupid like gasping, yelling hello or worse, winking at him. That would be really bad because she definitely felt like flirting with disaster (which is what any romantic encounter between them would probably be, she mused) when he looked at her like he was now…like she was the only woman in the room.

"Number one is to complement his hair if you want him to do something for you," the nameless woman began, drawing Alex's attention back to the conversation at hand. Alex looked back and forth between Shelia and her friend, unable to believe she'd processed that sentence correctly.

"I'm sorry. What did you just say?"

The two women laughed at the expression on Alex's face.

"You heard me."

"You've got to be kidding me," Alex said with a laugh. "I can't wait to hear what number two is."

"Number two is to tell him as early on as possible that you hate Mexican food," Shelia said through her laughter.

"Even if you don't," Shelia's friend supplied before Alex could ask the question.

"Why do I need to do that?" Alex asked, although she was afraid she already knew the answer.

"Doug _loves_ Mexican food," Shelia began but was unable to continue due to her laughter.

"But Mexican food does not love Doug," her friend finished for her. All three women burst into laughter, heedless of the attention they were drawing to themselves. As soon as they quieted down Alex noticed Bobby making his way towards them.

What on earth was he doing? She wondered. Was he out of his mind? They couldn't risk exposure. Shelia noticed the direction of Alex's gaze and released a low whistle.

"Wow, is he a hunk."

Her friend nodded and all Alex could do was stare helplessly.

"Would you care to dance?" Bobby asked Shelia.

"I'd love to," Shelia replied.

Wait. _Shelia?_ He came over to ask _Shelia_ to dance? Before Alex had a chance to turn this to her advantage and question Shelia's friend she too was swept away to the dance floor. What was this world coming to? But she was not jealous, she assured herself. Not at all. Definitely not jealous. Maybe a little miffed that no one seemed to want to dance with her, she admitted silently, feeling a little unattractive.

"Yeah, well what can you do?" she muttered to herself.

"Well _I_ can ask you to dance myself. Would you do me the honor?"

She whirled around and found herself face-to-face with none other than Jun-Thai's mystery man. Alex could hardly believe her good fortune. He stood about half a foot taller than she and had short and spiked brown hair and hazel eyes. All in all not a bad looking guy at all, Alex mused. She nodded her head in reply to his request and placed her hand into his. He led her onto the dance floor and while they got accustomed to the way one another's bodies moved she quickly recalled all the details she could muster about the fake persona she had used in her last undercover case. She was taking no chances with this gracious whim of Fate.

He led them around the floor a few times before deciding to break the silence.

"So what's your name?"

"Deborah Wingfield. What's yours?"

"Shang Lum. I haven't seen you around."

"Have you been looking?" she countered saucily, knowing that flirting was a great diversionary tactic.

"Sadly I must confess…the answer is no. Had I only known that doing so would lead me to you I would have been looking long before now."

"So what brings you out tonight?"

"The ghost of a chance that there will be a beautiful woman I can spend my night with, for starters."

Eames smiled, knowing that this guy hardly had the bantering skills necessary to keep her interested.

"How's that working for you?"

"I found you, didn't I?"

She nodded her head and let him continue to lead them around the floor, hyper conscious of the fact that the longer they danced, the more his hands began to roam. She probably would have felt a lot better if she knew that she wasn't the only one who was watching where Shang's hands were landing.

As Shang led Alex off the dance floor and over to a secluded corner of the room Bobby found himself biting the inside of his cheek. Normally he really enjoyed dancing and would prefer to combine questioning subjects with a few turns around the dance floor whenever feasible. But seeing Alex in Shang's arms left a sour taste in Bobby's mouth. And it became bitter when he realized what he needed to do.

end of chapter

Author's Note: How much do I suck? Can't even begin to find the words to describe it. I cannot believe so much time has passed since my last update. Where did this year go? Happy Turkey Day, everyone. I hope this holiday season brings you times worth remembering and loved ones to share them with.

Reviewer thanks:

Mammypooh – I am so pleased that you're enjoying the story so much. I did a double take when I read that it had been almost a YEAR since my last update. I swear it doesn't feel like that. Thank you very much for reviewing and reading.

May – I'm so sorry that I've kept you waiting. I hope you can forgive me? Thank you for taking the time to write!

Alamo Girl –Your kind words mean so much to me. I'm so sorry that my update was so slow. Thank you for giving me such lovely feedback.

FreeYourSoul —Thank you!

Talifiney –Yes, your review was definitely one of the ones that inspired me to finish up and post already, so thank you very much for that.

Nic Nic – Aww, thanks. I really appreciate that compliment.

ces625 – Well I hate that I made you wait, 'cause I know how bad waiting for an eppy can get.

ces625 – I could ask for no more than to hear that you enjoy this story, so thank you for that.

Aria –Don't you worry…I have no plans to leave this story unfinished. Thank you for taking the time to review!

Kajee –Wow, your feedback could not be any nicer! Thank you so much! I appreciate that you inquired about my move and it did go well so thanks. You rock!

Meakashi Gosterful — I hope that you are on my update list so that you do not have to keep checking so often. I am so sorry that I did not update any sooner. Thank you for being so thoughtful.

Quicksilvermad – Thank you very much for writing to me through the pain. I am sure you have recovered by now and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.

Anonymous – Reviews like yours always crack me up. Thank you.

Saxonny – Yeah, sorry that I did not post soon at all. But thanks for writing.

CI-SVU-4EVER – Your review might qualify as an overshare in some circles but I appreciate that you enjoy it so much, I really do. Thanks for asking about the move, it went alright.

Emma – Your review was really sweet and I thank you for reading and reviewing. Thanks!

Anyel – You are very kind, and your review was such a nice one to receive in my mailbox.

AgentRowan – Thank you for such positive feedback. I do apologize that I could not update as soon as I had hoped. Thank you for reading.

Lizzy –Your review was such a pleasant surprise in my mailbox and it made me smile. Thank you for taking the time to write it.

Dirce – And here beginneth my thanks. I appreciate that you are enjoying the story so much. I am so pleased to read that. Thank you.

DoM05 – You are so very generous with your praise. Thank you for reading and reviewing, I appreciate it.

crazy-dreams – That resolution so did not pan out the way I had hoped, which was a total bummer. Happy New Year back (hey, it's almost that time of year) and thanks for writing.

inner-storm – Your review had me totally misty-eyed, and I was so moved. Thank YOU for writing, I am so pleased to have played even a small part in your journey to fanfic writing.

Kahliaa – I am so pleased that you have stayed with me. Thank you for reading and writing, as always. Your review kept me inspired through the long haul.

ccabello – Thank you for writing. Yours was the first one to come to my mailbox and I am still as pleased by it as I was the day I received it.


	17. Lunch Dates

Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated with the show and do not expect to profit from this endeavor. Please don't sue.

Spoilers: Any and all episodes, just to play it safe.

"So why don't we go someplace and get to know each other better?" Shang whispered to Alex, trailing his finger up her arm as he leaned in.

"Oh I wish I could," Alex said, pretending to pout. "But to tell you the truth I thought this party was going to be a bust so I made plans with one of my girlfriends. I'm due to meet her soon."

"What a shame. I guess we'll just have to have dinner then."

Alex smiled at Shang, the sadistic part of her hoping that Bobby was watching and getting jealous.

"Let me give you my number."

As soon as they had exchanged numbers Alex said goodnight and made her way to the elevator, waving to Shelia and the woman without a name as she left. Once the doors shut Alex allowed herself a huge sigh. Great. Just great, she groaned inwardly. It was just her luck to meet Shang. It was beyond great for the case, this she knew. But to have to fake an attraction to him was going to require some effort. Not that he wasn't attractive, she reminded herself. In truth he was handsome and even though they only spoke briefly she could tell he was pretty smart--he'd have to be to move in Jun-Thai's circle.

Actually when she thought about it she could see the whole thing being easy to accomplish once you dismissed the whole probable criminal thing he had going on. And that was even kind of sexy in that bad boy way. No, as with most things the problem was with Bobby. Alex knew that Bobby wouldn't be jealous--or at least she'd never know if it he were. But the problem was that she wanted him to be jealous. She wanted him to tell her in no uncertain terms that she was not to go out with Shang, that he couldn't bear the thought of her and Shang alone together. She almost snorted aloud at the thought of Bobby doing anything like that. Instead of allowing herself to wallow in her daydreams she focused on the positive side of this. If she played her cards right they could wrap this case up much sooner than they had thought. This was a huge break for them. She just wished that the role she was going to have to play didn't include getting physically close to Shang but from the way he acted tonight there was no way he would be convinced if she didn't. Not that she'd been suffering from an excess dose of physical contact as of late, she noted dryly. Ever since the Halloween party she and Bobby had been at arms' length (or further, her neglected sex drive piped up to remind her.) The elevator stopped at the lobby and Alex pulled herself out of her musings and reached for her cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Captain, it's Eames."

"Oh hi, Alex. How did everything go?"

"We got a real break. Jun-Thai's mystery man was there and I had the chance to meet him, I'll need Deborah Wingfield's essentials re-instated ASAP."

"I'll make the call. So he asked you out, huh?"

Eames laughed.

"I'm not reading too much into it. He made a point of mentioning that he'd never seen me before so I think he's on a fishing expedition."

Deakins relaxed back into his sofa and absently patted his Dalmation puppy Grover as Eames laughed. He knew full well how potent Alex's charms could be when she consciously used them to her advantage and a large part of him was relieved that she restrained herself. He worried, though, that she restrained herself subconsciously. She always seemed surprised when her flirting paid off. He wondered what Alex's protective partner thought about Alex's "dates" with the bad guys. He realized Bobby probably never gave it a second thought--if it helped them solve a case he would undoubtedly be all for it. He opened his mouth to ask about Goren's efforts but quickly decided against it. Bobby would fill him in later.

"Well, Captain, I'm going to get going. I have a feeling the case will be picking up steam and I'll need all the sleep I can get."

Alex's voice broke into his thoughts.

"Sure thing, Eames. I'll see you tomorrow. By the way, are you still going to lunch with your sister after the briefing?"

Alex stopped walking and hit her forehead with her hand.

"Oh shoot! I completely forgot all about that--thanks for reminding me."

Deakins laughed.

"You're welcome. Goodnight, Alex."

"Goodnight."

Alex picked up her mug of hot cocoa from the kitchen counter and made her way to her bedroom. She picked up the book from her nightstand and thumbed through it until she found her place. She fell asleep reading and when her alarm clock sounded she stumbled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom. As she brushed her teeth it struck her that Bobby hadn't called to go over the details of their nights. It was so uncharacteristic of him that Alex was at her cell phone and dialing before she realized she hadn't spit out her toothpaste yet.

"Hey, Eames. Is everything all right?"

Bobby's voice on the line served to calm her immediately and she chastised herself for being so concerned in the first place. She hurriedly spit and answered.

"Um, hey, Bobby. Yeah, everything is fine. I realized I didn't ask you last night if you wanted a ride this morning?"

Good one, Alex, she thought. No chance he doesn't see right through that to the subtext: _Bobby, why didn't you call me last night?_

"Actually I'm already here."

"You are? Oh, okay. Well I'll see you in a bit."

"Sounds good."

Alex kicked into high gear as she hung up and made it to the department a short while later. When she passed Deakins' office she saw Bobby already inside. She deposited her things at her desk, grabbed a cup of coffee and made her way to the Captain's office.

"Good morning, Eames."

Deakins' greeting was warm and Bobby's was non-existent.

"Morning, Captain, Goren." Bobby lifted his head and nodded before returning his concentration to the paper in front of him.

"So Goren was filling me in on his night and I was telling him about yours. Now that you're both here we can go over the details of Deborah Wingfield's background briefly to get ourselves reacquainted with the necessary backstory."

As Deakins kept talking Alex took in Goren's appearance and realized he was avoiding looking at her. But why?

When the meeting finally wrapped up Alex breathed a sigh of relief. Now maybe she was going to have time to talk to Bobby, find out what was going on with him. As she piled her folders on top of one another and took a step toward the door Deakins' voice stopped her.

"Alex, have a nice time with your sister. Tell her I said hello."

"Sure thing, Captain."

"Oh, and Goren," Deakins continued, "I hope this Shelia person ends up giving you something worth knowing about Jun-Thai."

Alex dropped her stack of folders on the floor. Shelia? As in, Shelia? She looked over at Bobby, who was busy crouching down to retrieve a folder that had skidded to a stop at his feet.

"Shelia who?" Alex inquired with a sinking feeling. She looked at Bobby, willing him to suddenly look up and explain, but he avoided her gaze completely.

"Shelia from the party last night," the captain answered as he too bent down to help Bobby pick up the folders, "Goren has a lunch date with her. And I'm hoping that after spending all night with her that you've managed to exhaust all idle chit chat and can actually move on to subjects that will help the case. Here you go, Alex."

Eames took the folders from him and Bobby with a slight nod before wheeling around and exiting the room as quickly as possible. He spent the night with her? Shelia? Where? Doing what? Why hadn't he told her? Then it hit her and her legs almost buckled in despair. No wonder he wasn't looking at Alex anymore…he'd found someone else.

Bobby watched Alex deposit the folders on her desk, collect her keys and coat and make her way across the room to the elevator before going back to his desk. Deakins didn't realize what kind of damage he'd just caused, although to be fair it really was Bobby's fault. If he had just called Alex and told her that he'd spent the night with Shelia, mentioned it when she called him that morning, or better yet had taken the time to dance with Alex, share his plan with her before putting it into motion, he wouldn't be in this pickle now.

The gods were undoubtedly enjoying a hearty laugh at his expense. How on earth was he going to convince Alex that there was nothing going on between him and Shelia when the very fact that he had concealed their meeting suggested that there was more to the situation than meets the eye? He groaned in frustration and snared his keys from the desk before heading out to try and catch Alex.

E

N

D

C

H

1

7

Author's note: I apologize for the wait, although really it almost was a lot longer. Hope you enjoy, and as always, thanks to those who read, read and write, and read and write again. You guys are the backbone.

REVIEWER THANKS:

Elizabeth—Thank you so much for your kind words. I know I have not updated in what feels like forever and I am sorry about that, but your review helped me return to the story, so thank you.

Kcbeatles—Here's some more for you, hope you enjoy. Thanks for writing.

Mrs. Rhett Butler—Well, Mrs. Butler, I do sincerely pray that I have provided you with something you find entertaining. I thank you most humbly for your charitable words.

Audacious—I hope you find this worth reading, thank you for writing.

Bryony Cel—I am so pleased that you found my story and appear to enjoy it. I hope it will continue to amuse you to the end.

Willow Murray –I really abhor the thought of torturing anything, small animals, you, etc. So I beg forgiveness for not updating for a long while. Thank you for your kind praise, it means a lot.

DoM05—Thank you very much for your review. It made me smile the first, second, and twenty-third time I read it. I appreciate you taking the time to check in.

XxBandGeekxX—Well, this wasn't a repeat of the party but I hope to get back to that sort of scene very very soon. Keep on the lookout!

Alamo Girl—Well I'm as pleased as punch to have been of any help at all to your story. Thanks for being willing to let everyone see you. Thanks for leaving such a nice review.

Thermy—I have obeyed and not let a year go by before updating. I mean, after such a wonderful review how could I do anything else? Thanks for keeping me on task.

Faith—Thank you. Your review was so sweet. I appreciate it!

Haizea—Addictive, you say? Well thanks, I love reading that! Sorry my update was not soon at all.

Kimber McLeod—Ah, baited breath, one of my favorite expressions, and you will undoubtedly read it in a part coming up soon. Thank you for your praise, it was a delight to read in my inbox. Thank you.

Daze-dly—That was pretty funny…I love when things like that happen. I'm sorry that it's straying towards sappiness, and I can't promise it'll find its way out anytime soon, but this chapter should at least lean more towards angst, so I hope it makes you a little happy. Thanks for writing.

Mammypooh—You actually did a jig? I do love a good jig, myself, provided no one else is around. Well I was tickled to read your review and I liked receiving it, it makes me laugh. Thanks for adding a bright spot to my inbox.

Thinkofmefondly—Short, sweet, and to the point. You can't ask for more than that. Thanks for writing.

Quicksilvermad—Sorry the chapters haven't been long enough, I'll try to do better. Glad to hear you have fully recovered from the wisdom teeth pulling. And I do agree that Bobby in glasses is an image I can really get into.

MattnAmy4Life—Thank you for your review. I hope to keep you on as a reader.

Wood Venefica—Oh it's not over, I promise you that it will be finished. And I guess I just ended it there because I'm all consumed by the Dark Side or something. Anyway, thanks for writing.

Dirce—Well I am pleased as punch to have made you giggle gleefully once before. Thanks for writing and I'm sorry I waited to post. I'm even more sorry about the lack of physically interaction. Sorry sorry sorry.

Alliegilly—Thank you for your review, I really appreciate it!

Kelanth—Yes, poking and prodding do work every now and again. Glad that you are enjoying it. Thanks for taking the time to review.

Netherfield—I will indeed be finishing it, do not fret. I was glowing for days after reading your review, even though I felt bad that you had thought it was already finished. So I'm sorry about that. Yours is the kind of review that gives me the impetus to go on writing, so thank you very much for that.

Jenn—Yes, I promise, cross my heart hope to die, that this fic will in fact be finished. I am working on getting it done, and done well. Thank you for your gentle encouragement.

Jen—The next part is here, and I'm sorry it's not filled with shippy goodness for you. I will endeavor to bring it back around to there soon. I'm glad that the voices (whatever their source) are contributing to your enjoyment of the fic. You will know how it ends, I promise. Thanks for reviewing.

Lisa—Thank you, I appreciate that. I will continue to write more and more.

Tigerlil96—Yes, I too was ready for there to be more to this fic. Thank you for taking the time to review.

Denaliyasha—I whole-heartedly agree with the "Ack. Cliffhanger." Feeling. Sorry I had to go there. Thanks for writing.

Alecia—Well jeepers thanks! I'm so glad that you like the story, it means a lot to me.

thousand-miles—Thank you seems inadequate, and yet I find myself at a loss for words. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such an enthusiastic review. I appreciate the time and effort you took. You know what's terrific? You!


	18. Of Lips and Loathing

Author's note: Seriously. I updated. Wow. I'm thinking I should put this on hiatus until it's complete and then post it all…what do you think?

To my reviewers: Thanks so much for sticking with me. You are the reason this story continues, never doubt that. Thanks to the ones who didn't sign in: Jenn (awww…you're too nice!), KendraC (I love the term "pickle" and I think it's a perfect one for them!), Talifiney (sorry about failing to meet that Turkey Day deadline!), Elizabeth (thanks! You're so kind!), Smee1602 (Wow! Thank you so very much!), Monz (Thanks! I appreciate it!), TheSpirit (I will! Thanks!), Audacious (yes! I'm here!),

Isabelle, you get a line to yourself. Thank you so much. Your enthusiastic review had me smiling for days. Thank you for being so effusive with your praise, it means the world to me.

L&O:CI L&O:CI L&O:CI L&O:CI L&O:CI L&O:CI L&O:CI L&O:CI L&O:CI L&O:CI L&O:CI L&O:CI L&O:CI L&O:CI

Alex was thankful to find she was alone in the elevator. She hit the button for the parking garage and leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes as the elevator began its descent. She was being ridiculous about this whole thing, really, she told herself. It wasn't as if she and Bobby were an item or anything like that, so who was she to say who he could and could not go out with? And didn't she herself have a date with Shang? She snorted at the thought. The difference was clear. Her date was for the case…wait. Maybe Bobby's date was for the case, too?

She shook her head. That was pretty unlikely. She practically had to date Shang, seeing as it was the quickest means to an end…the end of the case. But what could Shelia tell Bobby? How could she possibly help Alex and Bobby close the case? No, the sad truth was that Shelia was an attractive woman who was attracted to Bobby. And unlike Alex Shelia had recognized a good thing when she saw it and had made a move. Alex tried to comfort herself with the knowledge that she couldn't have made a move, even if she wanted to. They worked together—worked well together—and for her to try to change the entire nature of their relationship was dangerous and foolish, not to mention cocky.

Who was Alex to say that Bobby was even remotely attracted to her? Sure, there was the whole Halloween thing but she could chalk that up to unusual circumstances, and she was still suspicious of the green makeup. Outside of that had Bobby been displaying any signs that he was attracted to her? What had he said or done that indicated that he wouldn't be completely opposed to Alex making a move? She scrambled her brain but came up with only one answer. Nothing. More likely than not he would be horrified and disgusted if Alex even brought up the idea of them dating.

But for one fleeting moment she allowed herself to imagine what it would be like to date him. Truth be told it probably wouldn't be much different than it was now. They did spend an inordinate amount of time together as it was. No, not much would change, she mused. Although there was the physical aspect to consider. Mmm…she smiled as she gave in to temptation and indulged in thoughts of being physical with Bobby.

There was no question in her mind that Bobby would be a phenomenal lover. If he applied even half the thought and concentration he displayed at work then the woman he was with was in for an unforgettable night. She could just see him randomly spouting off facts about the sexual practices of aboriginal tribes in the Sudan or somewhere equally exotic between kisses.

Hmmm…where to start? Alex mused. What body part did she want to get herself hot and bothered over first?

She loved his hands. There was of course plenty about Bobby for her to drool over but she had a thing for his hands…she wanted them on her. She loved how he used his hands to make a point, how he would allow one of them to rest on the small of her back when she preceded him into a room or out a door. She nearly swooned every time he held her hand to assist her out of a car or a freshly dug gravesite.

She could only imagine how talented those hands were in the bedroom. She thought back to the night of the museum party. The way his fingers felt in her hair, how each strand seemed to register the sensation differently. How softly he felt for her pulse, already on to her game. She groaned as she recalled that look in his eyes. That look that told her that he wanted that kiss, wanted her, but not if she was only playing a game. He wanted her to be the one to tell him yes or no. How she now wished that she had indeed damned the consequences and kissed Bobby with all she had.

She unconsciously tilted her head back and hit the wall of the elevator. The jarring motion was more than enough to pull her out of her musings. Her cheeks burned as she rubbed the spot on the back of her head. What on earth was she doing? Just because she had developed feelings for Bobby didn't automatically mean he had any for her. Just because she felt like ripping Shelia's hair out strand by strand didn't mean anything other than she seriously needed to get a grip. Just because—ding!

The sound interrupted her venting and she snapped out of it and quickly strode to her car. Once inside she checked her voice mail in case her sister had needed to cancel and as she played through her messages she searched the glove compartment for the piece of paper with the restaurant's address.

Bobby raced down the stairs, cursing himself, Deakins, and even Shelia but mostly himself as his feet pounded the surfaces. He didn't know why it was so important to clear this whole thing up with Alex before she left…it just was.

But his conscience refused to allow him to play that game. He knew damned well why it was so important that he find Alex, why it was necessary to make her understand that this was a big misunderstanding. He simply couldn't allow her to believe for a moment that he wanted to be with Shelia—even though his heart nearly stopped at the thought that admitting that meant he was really admitting that he wanted to be with Alex.

Why was that such a hard thing to grasp? He reflected and decided that maybe it had to do with the aftermath of the Halloween party. Although aftermath really wasn't the right word…that implied that there was a whole traumatic event that preceded the aftermath. And it wasn't traumatic, really, unless you thought that knocking the world off its axis was traumatic.

Because that's just what that night had done. Bobby had come within mere inches of changing his and Alex's relationship forever. And he would have, had Deakins not chosen that moment to demonstrate that his timing sucked. Instead of feeling relieved that the kiss had not happened and that they could go ahead and gloss over the near-miss, Bobby had felt an almost crushing sense of disappointment that had dogged his every thought since.

What would it have felt like, to kiss Alex? Would she have held back at first, the pressure of her lips tentative on his as she took stock of what they were doing? Was she the type of woman who would let him hear how he was affecting her? He could vividly imagine her breath catching in her throat, causing his name to be uttered in a soft moan as he blazed a trail of kisses down to her pulse point where he'd feel how much she wanted him.

He shook his head and willed the thoughts away, reminding himself that he was trying to catch up with Alex for the sole purpose of explaining why he went out with Shelia. By the time he made it to the parking garage he had a whole conversation worked out in his head. It started with him gently bringing up the subject of Shelia and how there was nothing going on. Alex would hopefully ask why he didn't want to date Shelia and thus present him with the opening he craved…the one that allowed him to suggest that the reason was Alex herself.

There was no reason at all why this conversation couldn't kill two birds with one stone, he surmised. He could kill off any doubts Alex may have about his interest in Shelia and confirm his interest in Alex herself.

But as he came to a stop next to her door his carefully crafted conversation flew out of his head. She looked hurt, and more vulnerable than he could remember seeing her. He frowned as he realized that a fragile state was not what she needed to project during the upcoming assignment. He ended up blurting out the first thing he thought of.

"So when is this date with Shang?"

Alex looked up in surprise. No wonder she's surprised, Bobby thought with a grimace. Could he have sounded any more jealous? Or random?

She quashed the bit of hope that had flared when she saw that Bobby had pretty much chased after her to the car. But she couldn't help but wonder at both his tone and question. It was probably her imagination that the jealousy she had longed for was now present. But why would Bobby care? Maybe he needed to clear the night with Shelia, she thought with a depressed sigh before addressing him.

"Date? Bobby, you know better than that. It's not a date…it's an undercover assignment."

No, Bobby, you're the only one of us dating. Bastard.

"Why the interest, anyhow? Hoping we could double with you and Shelia?"

She couldn't believe she had just said that. She slid her sunglasses on before she faced him again. It wasn't much of a shield but somehow she felt better. Why not profess your eternal love to the guy, Alex? She quickly back-pedaled.

"I'm sorry, Bobby. That was uncalled for. I have no right to interfere in your dating life."

But I want you to interfere in my dating life, he thought. And he planned on telling her as soon as she gave him the chance.

"I don't know her well or really at all but Shelia seems like a nice person. And I know she thinks you're attractive."

That comment broke Bobby's train of thought.

"She does?" he asked, unaware that by displaying even the mildest amount of interest in the answer he was dooming his agenda.

Alex sighed and pasted a strained smile on her face.

"She told me she thought you were a hunk."

A hunk? What did that mean? Did people use that expression anymore? As Bobby got caught up in analyzing the word usage he inadvertently gave Alex both the wrong idea and ample time to make her escape. He came to in time to see the tail lights winking at him as she drove away.

"Alex! Wait!"

But it was no use. Alex had driven off, and Bobby cursed himself ten thousand kinds of a fool.


End file.
